The SEAL Team Op That Took Down Noriega

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts his experiences during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, where his unit worked to overthrow Manuel Noriega. He describes arriving after months of training, conducting raids based on intelligence to capture Noriega’s leadership, and nearly being killed by falling glass during one operation. He also discusses the high attrition rate of his medical training and subsequent deployment to El Salvador, followed by being sidelined during the first Gulf War.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes his unit’s mission in Panama as disrupting Noriega’s government by capturing colonels and dismantling the military structure, though Noriega himself evaded capture during their attempts
• The guest recounts a near-death experience when tempered glass from an eighth-floor window fell on him during a raid on the wrong building, crediting his ballistic helmet with saving his life
• The guest reports that resistance during the Panama operation was relatively low compared to later conflicts, with his unit capturing an intact special forces compound and experiencing limited gunfights

Episode details: published August 24, 2025 · 6.9K views · 10:36 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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