Recon Marine Exposes the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps for Stolen Valor | Ep. 293

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews Ryan Caparis, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served over 17 years in infantry, recon, and force recon units. Caparis recounts combat experiences from Iraq and Afghanistan, discusses his transition from farming to the Marines, and explains his current work with Reason Outdoors, a nonprofit using ecotherapy-based outdoor programs to support veterans and first responders. The conversation covers leadership challenges in combat, deployment experiences including the 2003 Iraq invasion, and Caparis’s passion for hunting and firearms.

Key takeaways

• Caparis attributes his story of a first sergeant freezing in combat during an IED incident in Afghanistan, where the recon team had to take charge and rescue casualties while marking over 30 IEDs
• According to Caparis, his upbringing on a farm instilled work ethic and prepared him for Marine Corps challenges better than recruits without similar backgrounds
• Caparis describes the 2003 Iraq invasion as operationally uneventful for his unit, which he characterizes as the ‘bastard platoon’ frequently detached for various assignments but seeing limited direct combat

Episode details: published May 26, 2026 · 78.9K views · 3:26:11 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.

← Previous: Before Black Hawk Down: What SEAL Team 5 Was Actually Doing in Somalia · Next: Best Way To Handle An Aggressive Dog!* →

All Mike Ritland videos · Mike Ritland profile · Mike Drop (official site)