The Battle of Ramadi: SEAL Team 3 vs 5,000 Insurgents

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews a former SEAL Team 3 operator about his deployments to Iraq during the mid-2000s. The guest recounts checking into Team 3, initially deploying on a personal security detail mission, then returning for the intense Battle of Ramadi where his task unit worked alongside Army and Marine units in daily combat operations. He shares lessons learned from leadership, the cost of combat including the loss of teammates Mikey Mansour, Marc Lee, and Ryan Job, and reflects on survivor’s guilt and the importance of moving forward.

Key takeaways

• Ritland’s guest describes learning humility and gratitude as a new SEAL when a senior teammate corrected his poor attitude during his first deployment, reminding him to appreciate the opportunity to serve
• The guest recounts the Battle of Ramadi as involving near-daily combat supporting Army and Marine units, emphasizing the ‘one team, one fight’ mentality and the heavy cost of 98 soldiers killed and over 500 wounded during that 15-month period
• According to the guest, coping with the loss of teammates like Mikey Mansour requires focusing on the good you can do rather than dwelling on guilt, anger, or what-ifs, as those feelings lead nowhere and everyone experiences similar darkness in different contexts

Episode details: published February 16, 2026 · 144K views · 30:27 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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