Andy Stumpf Describes the Night He Got Shot on a Delta Force Raid

About this video

Mike Ritland recounts his transition from enlisted Navy SEAL to officer through the LDO program, becoming the first E6 selected in Naval Special Warfare history. He describes in detail being shot during a 2005 Iraq deployment with an Army special operations unit, the resulting injuries (fragmented AK round lodged in his pelvis), and his difficult year-long recovery involving heavy prescription medication and alcohol. Ritland credits CrossFit with his rehabilitation and eventual ability to wean off painkillers, and discusses how his combat injuries and concussion history ultimately led to his medical retirement.

Key takeaways

• Ritland became the first E6 in Naval Special Warfare history selected for the LDO commissioning program after his LPO tour was deemed incomplete due to being wounded in combat
• Ritland was shot in the pelvis during a 2005 Iraq operation, with fragmented metal still retained in his body, and spent a year recovering while heavily medicated on opioids, gabapentin, and other prescriptions while also drinking heavily
• Ritland credits CrossFit training with helping him rehabilitate physically, exhaust himself enough to sleep, and eventually wean himself off all pain medications over the course of a year

Episode details: published July 18, 2026 · 175.2K views · 25:48 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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