Green Beret Amputee Tries Out For Delta Force

About this video

A former Green Beret recounts his military career from joining the Navy in 1996 through multiple Special Forces deployments. The guest describes serving at Firebase Anaconda in Afghanistan, where he sustained combat injuries including being shot in the arm and later hit by a mortar. He explains how injuries from the mortar blast went unrecognized for years, causing progressive leg problems that worsened during Delta Force selection, ultimately leading to amputation seven years after the initial injury.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes observing a tactical shift in Afghanistan when foreign fighters (Chechens, Syrians, Iranian-influenced) began using coordinated maneuver warfare instead of simple ‘pray and spray’ attacks
• The guest recounts staying at Firebase Anaconda despite significant injuries, performing field surgery on his own arm with a junior medic, and returning to the firebase within a month rather than evacuating to Germany
• The guest explains how mortar blast injuries (spinal damage, inner ear damage, vascular issues) went undiagnosed for years, progressively worsening through Delta selection training before eventual leg amputation seven years later

Episode details: published June 29, 2026 · 12.6K views · 25:00 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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