From BUD/S to Team 5 Chaos: Hazing, Hollywood Vibes, and Fitting into the SEAL Brotherhood | Ep. 256 | Pt. 2

Mike Drop

Mike Ritland

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Documentary, Politics, News

4.9 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to Part 2 of Episode 256 on the Mike Drop Podcast, hosted by Mike Ritland, where we dive deep into the unfiltered world of elite military operators. In this gripping continuation, special guest Kevin Kent, a seasoned Navy SEAL veteran with a decade-plus of service in SEAL Team 5, opens up about his journey from BUD/S graduation in 2000 to nine deployments spanning pre- and post-9/11 eras. Listeners will get an raw, insider look at the chaotic camaraderie of checking into the notorious "Hollywood" Team 5, navigating bureaucratic nightmares like unwanted assignments to Yuma and penalty box stints, and the high-stakes evolution of combat ops—from peacetime exercises turning into real-world Gulf boardings to the Wild West intensity of early Iraq invasions. Expect hilarious hazing stories, heart-pounding tales of seizing hydroelectric dams under fire, eerie encounters with radiation silos, and candid reflections on promotions, injuries, and the shifting tides of warfare that shaped a generation of SEALs. If you're into authentic military history, operator mindset, and no-BS storytelling, this episode delivers the goods—perfect for veterans, history buffs, and anyone fascinated by the SEAL ethos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	All right, so all things aside, you make it to seal Team 5.
0:05.4	I have to ask, especially because Team 5 back in those days were pretty notorious, at least
0:10.3	from my recollection of two things.
0:12.7	One was the welcome aboard Hazings, and two, it was just always the Hollywood team.
0:18.3	How did you feel like your personality, generally speaking, fit in when you checked in?
0:24.0	Were you like, yeah, this fucking home?
0:25.4	Or were you like, who the fuck are these guys?
0:28.2	Yeah.
0:28.7	Oh, 100%.
0:29.6	Like, it's fucking weird because I look back on it now.
0:34.2	And I talk to dudes.
0:35.6	I went through, you know, buds.
0:37.5	Because, you know, graduated 200, went to jump school,
0:41.0	checked into Steel Team 5 around like September of 95.
0:46.2	And it's really weird because I look at other dudes
0:50.0	that I went to Bud's with, it went to like Team 1 or Team 3.
0:54.7	And I go, was their personality like this before?
0:59.5	Or did the team kind of mold their personality?
1:04.6	And I'm curious myself, like, how much different would my personality be had I went to Team 1 or Team 3 or some shit like that, you know? But, but yeah, like when I checked into Team 5, one of the first guys I met with this guy Dan Gearhart. I don't know if you know Dan O'n't know if you know, great fucking dude. Gearhart? Yeah, Gearhart. Oh, yeah, really well.
1:27.6	Yeah.
1:45.7	So I just remember I roll in, you know, you get your shit stamped on the quarterdeck. They bring you into admin, which is right there. This is the old quarterdeck. Bring you in. Go through all your stuff. And, well, I remember I'm there in my cameys. And I remember Dano comes in. And he goes, oh, hey, new team guy.
1:47.1	Like, he's out.
	...

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