Courage and Sacrifice: SEAL Team 10 and Operation Red Wings with Ben Souders

In this week’s episode, Marcus and Melanie are honored to sit down with former Navy SEAL Ben Souders, who served on SEAL Team 10 during one of the most challenging and heroic moments in modern military history—Operation Redwing.

Ben takes us through his incredible journey as a Navy SEAL, sharing stories from his time in Afghanistan and reflecting on the courage and sacrifice of his teammates. We dive deep into the challenges faced on the battlefield, and how experiences like Operation Redwing shaped his outlook on life and leadership.

Ben reflects on the bravery of fallen teammates, including Marcus’ account in Lone Survivor. He also shares about his life after service - the transition from active duty to civilian life.

Tune in to hear Ben’s firsthand account of courage, brotherhood, and the lessons he learned during his time as a Navy SEAL. Ben also shares some of his personal journal notes with the listening audience as well. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

In This Episode You Will Hear:
• [Michael Murphy] was well respected. He and a couple of officers everybody loved. (15:30)
• The physical part [of BUDS] was the hardest for me. I never thought I would quit, but I didn’t know if I would make it. I asked the Lord, “If you want me to do this, show me a sign.” And He did. I saw a Trident up in the sky. (18:12)
• I wanted to go to SEAL team 4 because of watching all the Vietnam documentaries. (27:06)
• They were passing out a paper and everybody had to write down why you joined, and I wrote “Patriotism.” (31:20)
• I’ll tell you somebody else that doesn’t get recognition – divers. (38:49)
• I was wanting to go to Afghanistan more so than Iraq just because I was never really interested in the urban-style of combat. (38:49)
• Team 10 was really cool. (41:06)
• [Danny Dietz] was a good guy from the start. When I first showed up, he always went around without a shirt. He was ripped like Bruce Lee. (43:09)
• [Danny Dietz] was always trying to mentor, no matter who they were.
• [Melanie] Q: How many people in a bee hut? A: 6 maximum. They were like mini chicken coops. (46:06)
• I hated wearing body armor. (48:59)
• Excerpt from Ben’s “Green Book:” I’m tired of all this so-called professionalism crap. I can’t wait to get out – be my own man instead of a peasant in the military. (59:31)
• How were we that close to one another when we were only there a couple of months? Just sitting around the fire talking. (78:42)

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