75th Ranger Veteran Finally Speaks On Haditha Dam & the Ambush That Followed | Ep. 305

About this video

Former US Army Ranger Tony Maine, a 2024 Ranger Hall of Fame inductee, recounts with host Mike Ritland his experience participating in the historic October 19, 2001 combat parachute jump into Afghanistan — the first Ranger airborne assault after 9/11. Maine describes the buildup, the emotions of 160 Rangers rigging up for the jump, the mission to seize and survey an airfield (later FOB Rhino), and the weight of carrying on Ranger legacy while knowing the nation was watching.

Key takeaways

• Maine describes the pressure and resolve felt by Rangers preparing for the first combat jump since Panama, aware they were making history and determined not to fail under national scrutiny
• The October 2001 jump into Afghanistan involved weeks of waiting at a forward staging base, detailed rehearsals, and a grueling 4-hour flight in full combat gear before a night assault that secured the objective with minimal resistance
• Maine attributes his ability to process combat and loss to his Christian faith, which deepened during downtime on his second deployment when he read through the New Testament

Episode details: published August 18, 2026 · 63K views · 3:06:19 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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