As we celebrate America 250 and watch fireworks fill the sky this Fourth, we are reminded that the freedoms we enjoy were never without sacrifice.
This month, we honor retired Navy SEAL Jason Redman, a severely wounded warrior, bestselling author, leadership expert, and patriot whose story embodies resilience, redemption, and the American spirit.
After overcoming early career leadership failures, earning back the respect of his fellow SEALs, and surviving a combat-related incident that resulted in severe injuries, Jason transformed adversity into purpose.
Today, he shares lessons on leadership, resilience, and what he calls "getting off the X," the ability to move forward when life knocks you down.
With part of Jason's team now operating in Arizona and frequent speaking appearances across the Valley, SCL's Nadine Bubeck sat down with him for an exclusive conversation about service, sacrifice, and what it truly means to live greatly.
For anyone who might not know your full story, how do you introduce yourself today?
I am a retired warrior, retired Navy SEAL, author, entrepreneur, husband, father, and patriot.
What first led you to the Navy?
I came from a military family. My grandparents both fought in World War II, and my father served in the Army. Service was always part of my life.
As a kid, I was fascinated GI Joe and the military. At first, I thought I wanted to be a pilot, thanks to Top Gun. Then I learned about special operations and the SEAL teams. Around 14 years old, I knew that was it.
Becoming a Navy SEAL is easier said than done.
About 80% of candidates don't make it through training.
When I decided I wanted to be a SEAL, I wasn't an athlete. I was a small kid and most people probably laughed at me. But I understood that if I wanted to achieve something difficult, I had to start doing difficult things.
I joined the football team and got beat up every day. I wrestled. I started running, swimming, doing pushups, pullups, and preparing myself physically and mentally.
That's a lesson I still teach today. Figure out where you want to go, understand what it will take to get there, then break it down into action steps and execute.
You achieved that dream, but later faced a very different challenge.
Early success became one of my biggest obstacles.
I excelled as a young SEAL, became a SEAL instructor, earned a commission as an officer, and graduated first in my ROTC unit. But I allowed ego and arrogance to creep into my leadership.
I started leading with a "do as I say, not as I do" mentality, and eventually I made a decision during a mission in Afghanistan that nearly got me kicked out of the SEAL teams.
It was one of my darkest moments. I sat alone in my room battling dark thoughts.
Thankfully, I sought help. A special operations chaplain and several strong leaders helped me realize I was about to make a permanent decision over a temporary problem.
Looking back, that failure became one of the most important experiences of my life.
Why?
Because it prepared me for what came next.
People often think adversity is random, but I don't believe that. Every hardship, every failure, every lesson we learn shapes us.
The reason my first book is called The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader is because I had to be broken down and rebuilt.
In 2007, your life changed forever.
Due to editorial guidelines, some details of Jason's combat injuries and battlefield experience have been condensed. What follows reflects the significance of the event without recounting its graphic realities.
On September 13, 2007, during a mission in Iraq, me and my team were caught in a devastating enemy ambush while pursuing a high-value target. Multiple team members were wounded, and I sustained life-threatening injuries requiring years of recovery and reconstruction. My survival was made possible by the courage of my teammates, who risked their own lives to bring me to safety.
I owe my life to those men.
The months that followed tested me in ways few can imagine. Yet through pain, uncertainty, and an arduous recovery, I emerged with a renewed sense of purpose and a powerful message about resilience.
Were you scared?
Absolutely.
There's no courage without fear.
The difference is that courage requires action despite fear.
That's what we train for.
Your hospital room sign became famous around the world.
About a week after being wounded, I was lying in Bethesda Naval Hospital.
I couldn't talk. I was in critical condition, and doctors discussed life-altering surgical options as I faced an uncertain future. My face was permanently disfigured.
At one point, I started feeling sorry for myself.
Then I realized that wasn't who I wanted to become.
So I asked my wife for a pen and paper and wrote what became known as the "sign on the door."
Part of it read:
"The wounds I received, I got in a job that I love, doing it for people that I love, defending the freedom of a country that I deeply love."
I also wrote:
"I will make a full recovery."
That sign wasn't written for anyone else. It was written for me... A reminder I still had a choice in how I responded.
What does America mean to you today?
I love this country.
I've seen the best and worst mankind has to offer around the world. No country is perfect, but America and this experiment of freedom are worth fighting for.
I've seen the profound sacrifices made by those who serve, and there was a time when I wasn't sure what my own path home would look like.
Yet I still believe the American Dream exists.
I'm living proof.
You often talk about "getting off the X." What does that mean?
Everybody gets ambushed in life.
Maybe not through combat or catastrophe, but through injury, illness, failure, loss, rejection, depression, and hardship.
Getting off the X means refusing to stay down.
To me, it starts with awareness, preparation, and action.
You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond.
What do you want people to leave with today?
Live greatly.
Not many people get a second chance at life after coming that close to death.
If you woke up this morning, it's already a good day.
Now it's up to you to make it great.
Stop worrying about failure. Stop worrying about what other people think.
If you have a dream, go after it.
At the end of your life, you don't want to regret the things you never did.
You want to be able to say, "I did it."
www.jasonredman.com
The hour long, unfiltered interview is now streaming everywhere on the Now with Nadine podcast.
"The wounds I received, I got in a job that I love, doing it for people that I love, defending the freedom of a country that I deeply love."
"Everybody gets ambushed in life. Don't lay there feeling sorry for yourself. Build a victor mindset, not a victim mindset."