Cole Fackler Reveals What Really Happened the Day Operation Red Wings Hit

About this video

Mike Ritland recounts combat experiences from four deployments to Iraq with SEAL Team 10 (2005-2010), including his platoon’s proximity to Operation Red Wings, close calls with IEDs and firefights, and his first combat kill. He discusses the evolution of tactics and the integration of military working dogs, describing their impact on operations for explosive detection and apprehension, and his decision to pursue selection for DEVGRU.

Key takeaways

• Ritland’s platoon was the sister platoon to those lost in Operation Red Wings; he describes learning to compartmentalize while deployed
• He credits skeet shooting with his father for his first combat kill—a single headshot at 50 yards on a moving target
• Military working dogs proved invaluable for IED detection and apprehension once teams learned proper employment; Ritland recounts dogs neutralizing threats and controlling fleeing suspects
• Ritland describes pursuing DEVGRU selection as a test of ego and willingness to return to the bottom, risking failure and career setbacks to keep pushing his limits

Episode details: published July 15, 2026 · 82.3K views · 21:37 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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