Mike Glover: “Rockets Started Slamming Our Base… and I Completely Froze”

About this video

Mike Glover, a former Special Forces operator, recounts several operational experiences from Afghanistan and Iraq that he considers important lessons. He describes freezing during his first rocket attack in Afghanistan, nearly dying on a rooftop during a major gunfight in Sadr City when his team was pinned down until an F-16 pilot performed a low pass to break contact, and realizing he had created a flawed base defense plan that nearly got his team killed. Glover reflects on whether the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were worth the sacrifice, concluding that while he has no personal regrets about his actions, he believes collectively the U.S. made both countries worse and questions whether fallen brothers like Ben Bitner died for a worthy cause.

Key takeaways

• Glover recounts that he froze during his first experience receiving rocket fire in Afghanistan because there was no training drill for that scenario, demonstrating that even trained operators can freeze when facing unexpected crises
• Glover describes nearly dying on a Sadr City rooftop when his overwatch position was compromised and enemy fighters achieved grazing fire over their position, with an F-16 pilot breaking the engagement by performing a low pass with flares that allowed his team to escape
• Glover explains that as a young operator, he created a base defense plan requiring everyone to occupy rooftops during attacks, nearly getting himself and his teammate killed before he realized the plan exposed personnel unnecessarily to indirect fire
• Glover states he has no personal regrets about his actions in combat because he operated with good intentions, but believes collectively the U.S. made Iraq and Afghanistan worse and questions whether his fallen brothers died for something worthwhile

Episode details: published March 6, 2026 · 8.8K views · 29:28 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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