Mike Glover on Operation Red Wings: What Really Happened After the Crash

About this video

Ritland’s guest recounts his experience during and after the Operation Red Wings helicopter downing in Afghanistan, including details about the crash sequence and recovered enemy footage. He describes the extensive retribution operations conducted by his Special Forces company across the region and reflects on tactical lessons that emerged from the incident. The conversation also covers comparisons between operating in Afghanistan versus Iraq, including terrain challenges and tactical differences.

Key takeaways

• According to the guest, some soldiers fell from ropes when the helicopter was hit by an RPG during the Red Wings rescue attempt, and the aircraft subsequently crashed while trying to gain elevation
• The guest believes lessons learned from Operation Red Wings were not adequately distributed by the Department of Defense, citing poor inter-unit communication and improvised quick reaction force composition as ongoing problems
• The guest contrasts urban combat in Iraq with rural Afghanistan operations, describing Afghanistan as unpredictable ‘wild west’ terrain versus Iraq’s urban sprawl requiring different tactics and equipment

Episode details: published October 23, 2025 · 200.1K views · 10:42 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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