The Real Story Behind the Creation of Delta Force — Mike Vining Tells All | Ep. 277

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews retired Sergeant Major Mike Vining, one of the original founding members of Delta Force and a Vietnam-era EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) specialist. Vining recounts his path from rural Michigan to EOD training, his extensive bomb disposal work during the Vietnam War including responding to over 380 incidents in 11 months, and his recruitment into Delta Force in 1976. The conversation covers Vining’s viral retirement photo, his childhood interest in explosives and chemistry, close calls with unstable munitions in Vietnam, and his philosophy on training and mental preparation.

Key takeaways

• Vining attributes his calm under extreme pressure to rigorous EOD training and learning from senior NCOs in the field, emphasizing confidence built through understanding how weapons and fuses work
• During his 11-month Vietnam tour, Vining responded to over 380 EOD incidents, including manually defusing armed 500lb bombs inside a fire support base where detonation in place was not an option
• Vining recounts a near-fatal incident with an experimental XM74 liquid incendiary rocket that detonated unexpectedly, teaching him that even new experimental ordnance introduced to the field often lacked adequate safety documentation

Episode details: published February 3, 2026 · 309.9K views · 4:36:12 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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