Did the U.S. Accidentally Strengthen Iran?

About this video

A former Navy SEAL officer discusses his career trajectory and decision to leave the teams. He reflects on his deployment to Mosul in 2017, his subsequent roles as operations officer and executive officer, and the career planning exercise his commanding officer had him complete. The exercise, which involved mapping out his remaining career against his children’s ages, ultimately influenced his decision to retire after serving as executive officer at the training command.

Key takeaways

• The guest suggests that removing Saddam Hussein may have been a mistake, arguing that dismantling the Ba’ath party created a vacuum that allowed insurgency to fill
• The guest’s commanding officer had him map out his dream career path alongside his children’s ages, which helped him realize his oldest son would be leaving home just as he gained more time for family
• The guest chose to leave the SEALs after his executive officer tour at the training command, weighing eight years of remaining service against the impact of frequent moves and deployments on his family

Episode details: published June 15, 2025 · 10.9K views · 9:16 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.

← Previous: “Rockets Flying into Israel Every Day” — The Origins of WW3 · Next: Why IRAN Got STRONGER After We “Won” in Iraq →

All Mike Ritland videos · Mike Ritland profile · Mike Drop (official site)