#332 Alex West - SEAL Team 6 Operator on Crashing a Black Hawk Into Bin Laden's Backyard

August 20, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Alex West, a retired Navy SEAL who served 20 years with SEAL Team 3 and DevGroup's Red Squadron, was the youngest man ever to attempt and pass selection for the unit. He led an assault team on Operation Neptune Spear—the raid that killed Osama bin Laden—and later founded the nonprofit One More Wave, which builds adaptive surfboards for wounded veterans. Today, he works as a licensed therapist in Nashville. This conversation covers his childhood in Africa, his path through the military, and the decade-long psychological toll of fifteen combat deployments.

The Youngest Man in the Room

West grew up in Lesotho and Cairo, the son of a Vietnam veteran who struggled with alcoholism and PTSD for his entire life. He recalls holding space for his father during drunken monologues about airstrikes and friendly-fire incidents, and as a twelve-year-old calling suicide hotlines just to have a safe adult to talk to. "I had a natural instinct to want to help impact suffering even from a young age," he says.

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What you'll learn

1 Timestamped Navigation Outline
2 (01:44) **Opening & Personal Connection** - Shawn introduces Alex West and they share a personal connection through a mutual friend, Dan Cerola
3 (03:47) **Introduction to Alex West's Background** - Shawn reads Alex's full biography: 20-year SEAL, 15 combat deployments, SEAL Team 3 and DevGru Red Squadron, Operation Neptune Spear, Extortion 17 aftermath, founder of One More Wave, and now a mental health therapist
4 (09:10) **Patreon Question: The Ocean's Power** - Ian Lane asks about the most powerful thing Alex has seen the ocean do that traditional therapy couldn't match
5 (11:14) **Childhood in Africa** - Alex describes being born in South Africa and growing up in Lesotho and Cairo, Egypt during the apartheid era
6 (17:05) **Danger in Africa** - Alex recounts the constant danger of his childhood, including a car bomb on his street in Lesotho and a riot with machine gun fire near his school in Cairo
7 (21:07) **Father's Vietnam War Trauma** - Alex's father was a Vietnam veteran who struggled with PTSD and alcoholism his entire life

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Alex West is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL who served 20 years, completed 15 combat deployments, including 13 with DEVGRU, and served as an assault team leader during Operation Neptune Spear. After years of combat, personal loss, and the Extortion 17 tragedy, he confronted the psychological toll of service, found a path toward healing, founded One More Wave, and became a mental health therapist focused on trauma and recovery.

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Alex West Links:

Website - https://alexwest.com

Americans for Ibogaine - https://www.americansforibogaine.org

One More Wave - https://onemorewave.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexwestimpact

X - https://x.com/alexwestimpact

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-west

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@alexwestimpact

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