Navy SEAL w/ 7 Deployments | Author of Warrior to Civilian | Rob Sarver
Combat Story
Ryan Fugit
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 30 November 2024
⏱️ 79 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today we have a fantastic Combat Story with former Navy SEAL Officer Rob Sarver. Rob had more fun than most on his path to becoming a SEAL, originally with a detour as a surface warfare officer that he very skillfully managed to curtail, and leveraged a really interesting network to get a shot at the Teams.
This episode is chalked full of both great stories from down range but also really practical explanations for getting ahead and succeeding, much of which has made it into his book, Warrior to Civilian: The Field Manual for the Hero’s Journey.
In this episode, Rob covers some amazing stories of ingenuity in combat like using innertubes to float quietly on an assault to using copper wire to make two different radio sets compatible for field use. And despite Rob’s obvious successes from attending the Naval Academy to his time in the Teams and then graduating from Wharton and working in Private Equity, he also hits on the tougher moments, covering tough topics of loss, fear, and desperation, including losing someone on day one of a deployment. Don’t worry, though, there are plenty of laughs and hilarious anecdotes like the story behind the phrase ‘moderation is for cowards’.
With that, please enjoy this Combat Story with Rob Sarver.
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Find Rob Sarver Online:
Warrior to Civilian: The Field Manual for the Hero’s Journey (Link: Hachette Books: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/robert-sarver/warrior-to-civilian/9781538769966/
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Civilian-Field-Manual-Journey/dp/1538769964)
Author Site - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/robert-sarver/
Find Ryan Online:
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Show Notes:
00:00 Intro
00:44 Introduction to Combat Story
01:03 Meet Rob Sarver: Navy SEAL Officer
01:37 Rob's Journey to Becoming a SEAL
02:19 The Book: Warrior to Civilian
03:54 Rob's Military Background and Early Life
09:31 High School Adventures and Military Aspirations
14:06 Academy Life and Challenges
15:25 Path to the SEAL Teams
22:49 First Deployment Experiences
29:18 BUD/S Training and Beyond
35:16 Reflecting on Early Military Experiences
36:22 First Mission and Initial Challenges
36:56 Language School and Unexpected Adventures
38:41 Deployment Stories and Combat Encounters
41:19 Leadership and Team Dynamics
42:33 Loss and Resilience
44:43 Bronze Star with Valor: The Story Behind the Honor
48:53 Creative Tactics and Overcoming Obstacles
01:01:14 Transitioning to Civilian Life
01:01:42 Writing the Book: Purpose and Process
01:09:19 Seeking Help and Finding Balance
01:12:57 Memories and Reflections
01:14:25 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Because we're not giving us air support west of the river. |
| 0:04.0 | So we blew up the tubes, we laced them with one inch on the bottom to put the dog and the |
| 0:09.0 | explosives in. |
| 0:10.0 | Guys kicked on fins and just like a lazy river. |
| 0:13.0 | They offset 300 meters north and they just came down like a lazy river and skirted that 100 meters. |
| 0:18.0 | Took about 45 minutes and when they rigged it to blow, they egressed and went south. |
| 0:23.8 | And we caught them further down south. |
| 0:25.5 | We had, you know, positioned to the north, command and control the middle, you know, a catch at the south. |
| 0:30.9 | And the guys were borderline hypothermic after 45 minutes over there and just soaking wet. |
| 0:36.2 | And we've set those explosives off. |
| 0:39.3 | Why, as a crow flies two kilometers away with my op center, |
| 0:42.3 | they felt the overpressure. |
| 0:44.3 | Welcome to combat story. |
| 0:45.3 | I'm Ryan Fugit, and I serve Warzone Tours as an Army attack |
| 0:48.3 | helicopter pilot and CIA officer over a 15-year career. |
| 0:51.3 | I'm fascinated by the experiences of the elite in combat. On this |
| 0:55.8 | show, I interview some of the best to understand what combat felt like on their front lines. |
| 1:00.9 | This is combat story. Today we have a fantastic combat story with former Navy SEAL officer |
| 1:07.5 | Rob Sarver. Rob had a bit more fun than most on his path to becoming a SEAL, |
| 1:12.8 | originally with a D-2er-S surface warfare officer that he very skillfully managed to curtail |
| 1:18.2 | and leveraged a really interesting network to get a shot at the teams. |
| 1:22.6 | This episode is chalked full of both great stories from Downrange, but also really practical advice |
... |
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