Green Beret Q Course: SERE, Pashto & Why So Many Fail

About this video

A former Army Green Beret describes his path through Special Forces selection and the Q Course, including six months of Pashto language training, small unit tactics, and SERE school. He recounts his first deployment to Afghanistan as a personal security detachment member for seventh group command, where he used downtime to embed with different ODAs throughout the country. The guest shares a firefight story from the Keshar Valley involving Taliban attacks and coordinating British tornado jets for air support.

Key takeaways

• The guest reports that attrition rates during the small unit tactics portion of the Q Course ranged from 25% to a third of candidates, with failures due to both voluntary drops and failing to meet shooting or timing standards
• The guest explains that his unconventional first deployment as PSD for command gave him exposure to operations across Afghanistan and allowed him to observe how different ODAs operated in various regions
• The guest describes a firefight in Keshar Valley where his small element had to clear a Taliban compound while under PKM fire and coordinate British tornado jets to suppress enemy positions before running low on ammunition

Episode details: published May 22, 2026 · 13K views · 27:47 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: They Never Knew His Name — The Ghost Operator Who Sent Tier One Teams on 100 Raids · Next: Is SAS Selection Actually Getting Harder? →

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