SEAL Team 6 Deployment in Jalalabad: Inside Look

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews a former SEAL Team Six operator who recounts his experiences on two deployments to Afghanistan in 2009. The guest describes combat operations, working with military dogs Cairo and Remco, tactical challenges, and his role in the Captain Phillips hostage rescue mission off the coast of Somalia.

Key takeaways

• Ritland’s guest describes Afghan fighters as far more willing to fight to the death compared to Iraqi combatants he encountered, continuing to engage even under heavy fire from AC-130s
• Military working dogs like Cairo and Remco played critical roles in operations—the guest credits Cairo with saving his life when the dog drew fire and exposed enemy fighters concealed in an orchard
• The guest recounts his role in the 2009 Captain Phillips rescue as a last-minute load master, describing the chaotic preparation, overweight boats and aircraft, parachute insertion with boat squadron, and the precision three-shot kill that ended the standoff

Episode details: published November 5, 2025 · 85.3K views · 28:49 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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