How I Spent 29 Months in BUD/S & Still DID NOT Quit

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts spending 15 months at BUD/S training due to multiple medical setbacks, including ITB band inflammation and stress fractures. The guest describes how instructor Warren Rearts advocated for him to continue, leading to his eventual graduation with class 209. He details subsequent career challenges including being placed on probation by his chief’s board, spending years in non-operational roles, and ultimately deploying just once before 9/11, then later securing a spot in a DPV platoon through persistence.

Key takeaways

• The guest spent 15 months in BUD/S after being medically rolled twice (once for ITB bands, once for stress fractures in both legs), which he attributes partly to overtraining between courses.
• The guest recounts that instructor Warren Rearts intervened on his behalf, reportedly telling leadership that if the guest could get healthy, he would make a decent frogman, which saved his career.
• The guest describes being placed on probation by his chief’s board at Team One, having his trident withheld for months while already in a platoon, which he says cost him significant pay and opportunities.
• The guest explains that instructor Bruce at SQT confronted him about poor performance and attitude, which became a turning point that helped him become a better instructor before eventually securing a combat platoon spot post-9/11.

Episode details: published October 20, 2025 · 26.9K views · 20:18 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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