Escaping Afghanistan: How a Navy SEAL Saved a Family of Fourteen w/ Retired Navy SEAL Dan O‘Shea EP 63

Sep 16, 2021

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This is a true story about the operation “Pineapple Express” and helping Afghani allies escape Afghanistan. In this Passion Struck podcast episode, John R Miles interviews retired Navy SEAL Dan O’Shea on how he guided a family of fourteen to safety, successfully evading the Taliban. Dan describes the harrowing details of their 96 hours of terror and what it took to get the family safely to the Kabul airport. This is just one story out of more than 700 people the “Pineapple Express” helped save.

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Episode Highlights With Retired Navy SEAL Dan O’Shea

In this powerful episode, John R. Miles and Navy SEAL Dan O’Shea discuss getting involved in Operation Pineapple Express. He tells the incredible story of survival as he guided an Afghani Allie, who is an American Citizen, and his family of fourteen escape Afghanistan and evade the Taliban over a 96-hour window of sheer heroics.

He talks about his decision to become a Navy SEAL, the biggest lessons he learned from going through BUDs, the organizational structure of the teams, his tour of duty in Iraq where he participated in over 400 hostage rescues, as well as his experience in Afghanistan and those Afghanis who served alongside him. Why he is adamant about never leaving a soldier behind. He ends by discussing the Frogman swim he founded to benefit the wounded and fallen Navy SEALs and their families.

New Interviews with the World’s GREATEST high achievers will be posted every Tuesday with a Momentum Friday inspirational message!

ESCAPING AFGHANISTAN SHOW NOTES

0:00 Dan O’Shea Teaser
1:09 Introducing Episode and Dan O’Shea
6:36 His path from the Naval Academy to BUDs
9:38 How he learned your attitude is everything
11:31 Competing in the ECO-Challenge (World’s Toughest Race)
13:00 Explaining the organization of the SEAL teams
14:56 His time coordinate hostage rescue in Iraq
20:04 Examples of High profile kidnappings
23:07 His time as a counterinsurgency advisor in Afghanistan
25:38 The Green Berets from the movie “12 Strong” on ever of 9/11
29:42 How the Afghani interpreters risked their life for Americans
32:53 The origins of Operation Pineapple Express
39:33 Honoring his promise to the Afghani Allies he served with
42:30 The story of how Dan O’Shea saved a family of fourteen in escaping Afghanistan
101:58 How his employer Equitus is supporting Pineapple Express
105:13 Founding the Frogman swim and its purpose

QUOTES BY NAVY SEAL DAN O’SHEA

"I am a SEAL. We have a combat record; we’ve never left a man behind on a battle ever. That’s our legacy."

"When you go to combat with someone, that’s a relationship on a brotherhood level that you can’t compare to anything."

"We’re doing this to honor the promise we made to these people, these Afghan partners who risked their all for us, and they understand leave no one behind."

– Dan O’Shea ENGAGE DAN O’SHEA

Commander Dan O’Shea, a retired Navy SEAL, had more than 25 years of special operations experience, including multiple Middle East (Iraq/Afghanistan) and Africa tours following 9/11. Commander O’Shea graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1991 and has a Master’s in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego. A subject matter expert in Islamic terrorism, counter-insurgency (COIN), and hostage rescue operations, O’Shea was a COIN advisor for the Commander International Security Assistance Force (COMISAF) Afghanistan from 2011-2012.

O’Shea established and served as the Hostage Working Group (HWG) coordinator at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, from 2004 to 2006. He expertly managed the inter-agency coordination of more than 400 kidnapping incidents. Arriving at the height of the hostage-taking campaign that targeted more than 50 foreigners per month. By the end of his tour, foreign kidnappings in Iraq were in single digits.

O’Shea is the Co-founder of the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim that has raised more than $6 million for the Navy SEAL Foundation supporting Navy SEALs wounded and killed in action since 9/11.

*LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-o-shea-4635732/

*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danosheafla/

*Eco-Challenge: https://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/content/content.jsp?contentId=400147

*Equitus: https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2021/08/19/equitus-corp-gets-cut-of-nearly-1-billion-defens.html

ENGAGE WITH JOHN R. MILES

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