SEAL Team 8 Had to Divert to Somalia After Black Hawk Down

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts graduating BUD/S in January 1990 after overcoming running challenges despite being comfortable in the water. He describes his early career at SEAL Team 8, including deployments to Europe and North Africa, and being diverted to Somalia’s coast shortly after the Black Hawk Down incident to conduct beach surveys for potential Marine landings. After injuries and with his commanding officer’s help securing a letter of recommendation from astronaut Bill Shepard, he obtained an NROTC scholarship and attended the University of Arizona, where he found the transition from SEAL teams to college life surprisingly easy.

Key takeaways

• The guest says he had never run more than a mile before joining the Navy and developed shin splints and stress fractures during BUD/S training, ultimately being held back to complete a running program before classing up
• The guest describes being deployed off Somalia’s coast three to four days after Black Hawk Down, where his team conducted beach surveys from Zodiacs in shark-infested waters rather than swimming due to dangerous conditions
• The guest’s commanding officer at SEAL Team 8 helped him secure an NROTC scholarship by connecting him with astronaut Bill Shepard for a letter of recommendation, leading to his acceptance at the University of Arizona

Episode details: published August 2, 2026 · 18.4K views · 22:35 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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