Groomed for Tier One—But a Machine-Gun Round Blew Half His Face Off

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts the firefight that ended his military career during a deployment in Iraq’s Anbar Province. He describes being groomed for a Tier One unit when his team was ambushed while pursuing suspected insurgents, resulting in catastrophic injuries including being shot in the face by a PKM machine gun. The guest details his medical evacuation, months-long recovery involving nearly 40 surgeries over four years, and the extraordinary efforts of military medical personnel and his wife during rehabilitation.

Key takeaways

• The guest recounts being hit by a PKM machine gun round that destroyed much of his face and jaw, rendering him unconscious during a 40-minute firefight where teammates fought over his position
• The guest credits his team leader (referred to as ‘Al’) with saving his life by dragging him to cover under fire and applying a tourniquet, though the guest believes Al’s Silver Star award should have been a Navy Cross
• The guest describes undergoing nearly 40 surgeries over four years and wearing a tracheostomy tube for seven months, with his wife serving as his primary nurse during home recovery
• The guest reports that a former SEAL who was head of orthopedics at Bethesda fought to save his severely damaged arm when other doctors recommended amputation

Episode details: published January 4, 2026 · 24.8K views · 28:25 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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