From Taking a Sh*t to Taking Fire: The Dumbest Mistake That Nearly Got Us K*lled

About this video

A guest recounts combat experiences from his nine-month Afghanistan deployment embedded with a SEAL Team 3 platoon. He describes multiple firefights, including one where he and another SEAL (Josh Bridges) left their gear to relieve themselves and were caught in the open when enemy forces initiated contact. The guest details a chaotic engagement where communications failed between separated elements, he made his first kill at 1,170 meters with a SCAR rifle, and the team expended all ammunition requiring air support to extract.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes making a critical mistake when he and Josh Bridges left their weapons and protective gear hundreds of yards away to relieve themselves, only to come under fire while exposed on a ridgeline
• The guest recounts his first kill during a complex firefight where radio communications broke down, multiple SEAL elements were separated and pinned down, and he engaged a target at 1,170 meters
• The guest explains the deployment involved clearing operations to create ‘white space’ and return Afghan villages to civilian populations by removing Taliban presence and IEDs

Episode details: published November 14, 2025 · 10.1K views · 24:36 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: “My Guys Are D*ad Because I Was Selfish” - Medal of Honor Recipient Dakota Meyer · Next: I Refused To Take The COVID Shot & Got Kicked Out The Military →

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