He Failed SQT On The LAST Day — Then This Happened

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts his experience through BUD/S training, including getting rolled in SQT and checking into SEAL Team 4. He describes his first deployment to Afghanistan, which unexpectedly switched from a planned EUCOM assignment to village stability operations. The deployment involved building forward operating bases, frequent IED encounters, and sporadic firefights, and he adopted a local puppy named Frank who became the platoon mascot.

Key takeaways

• The guest found Hell Week harder than San Clemente Island training, though he notes second phase was particularly difficult for his class due to tension with instructors
• The guest’s platoon was redirected from a EUCOM/AFRICOM deployment to Afghanistan one week before departure to become the first SEAL platoons conducting village stability operations
• The guest describes his first deployment as involving more IED threats than direct combat, with only six to seven firefights but frequent dangerous encounters with improvised explosives

Episode details: published September 24, 2026 · 28.1K views · 20:46 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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