Aug 20, 2026 · 4h 35m
SEAL operator turns combat trauma into a mission of recovery
#332 Alex West - SEAL Team 6 Operator on Crashing a Black Hawk Into Bin Laden's Backyard
Alex West connects elite military service, combat loss, suicidal crisis, and sobriety to his later work helping veterans and first responders heal.
- 1West’s turbulent childhood and family trauma shaped his drive toward the Navy SEALs and elite special operations.
- 2The Abbottabad raid brought historic consequence, but repeated combat losses and survivor’s guilt continued long after the mission.
- 3Therapy, surfing, sobriety, and ibogaine advocacy became central to West’s effort to help veterans and first responders recover.
Don't miss
West recounts the helicopter crash and ensuing assault during the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The brief
Alex West traces his path from an unstable childhood across Africa and a family marked by Vietnam-era trauma to the Navy SEALs, where proving himself became a driving force.
BUD/S, Green Team, and Red Squadron demanded persistence under pressure, but West’s elite career also exposed him to mentorship, leadership burdens, and repeated combat loss.
West’s account of the Abbottabad raid captures both the mission’s uncertainty and its violence, including the helicopter crash, the assault, and the extraction of bin Laden’s body.
After Neptune Spear, survivor’s guilt, drinking, traumatic brain injury, and a suicidal crisis forced West to confront damage that operational success could not resolve.
West describes One More Wave, therapy, sobriety, and ibogaine research advocacy as parts of a broader transition from tactical identity toward recovery and service.
Featuring
Taliban
Afghanistan
Rogue WarriorBooks & mentions
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