Afghan Refugee Turned Marine & Green Beret | Ep. 266

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Kaweah Ma’lay, the first Afghan-born Green Beret in U.S. Special Forces history. Ma’lay recounts his family’s harrowing escape from Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in the early 1980s after his father was killed by Russian forces, detailing their dangerous journey through military and Mujahideen checkpoints to reach Pakistan. The conversation also covers Ma’lay’s current work with his training company Toalpha Training Group, his experiences with military consulting in Hollywood, and his views on immigration, leadership, power, and personal responsibility.

Key takeaways

• Ma’lay describes his family’s escape from Afghanistan in the late 1970s/early 1980s, including near-capture at checkpoints where relatives hid in rice crates, after his father was killed by Soviet forces when Ma’lay was three years old
• According to Ma’lay, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was facilitated by the Afghan Communist Party inviting Russia in, which created divisions within Afghan society and military that drove many to become Mujahideen fighters
• Ma’lay emphasizes the principle that ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ (attributed by him to a French general), advocating against gatekeeping skills and knowledge gained through military experience and instead sharing them to strengthen others

Episode details: published November 18, 2025 · 47.7K views · 5:00:59 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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