How Andy Stumpf Got Shot In Baghdad When Deployed w/ Army SF

About this video

Ritland recounts being shot during a 2005 Iraq deployment while cross-training with Army special operations forces. He describes the firefight, his wounding (a bullet struck his hip and another grazed his belt), medical treatment, and his subsequent year-long struggle with pain medication and alcohol before using CrossFit as part of his recovery.

Key takeaways

• Ritland describes his experience being wounded on February 5, 2005 during a night raid in Baghdad, shot by an AK-47 with the round fragmenting in his pelvis
• He recounts being prescribed numerous pain medications including OxyContin and gabapentin, which he combined with heavy drinking, eventually recognizing the toll on his cognition and family
• Ritland shares how he slowly weaned himself off medications over about a year and used CrossFit training as his rehab protocol to manage pain and restore sleep

Episode details: published October 13, 2025 · 163.8K views · 15:42 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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