Lt. Jason Redman, U.S. Navy SEAL, Afghanistan, Iraq

Jason Redman learned love of country and the importance of service at a young age. His grandfather was a decorated World War II veteran and his father served during the Vietnam War. Before finishing high school, Redman enlisted in the U.S. Navy with one goal in mind: becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL.

In this edition of Veterans Chronicles, Redman tells us about the unexpected health challenge he faced in boot camp before he could pursue his dream of becoming a SEAL. He then walks us through Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, why so many give up during Hell Week, and another very difficult part of training where many candidates wash out.

Redman then takes us on his 2005 deployment to Afghanistan and explains how it got off to such a devastating start. He also explains how his mounting frustrations led to some poor decisions that could have proven very costly.

Then, Redman details his 2007 deployment to Iraq and describes the enemy ambush that badly wounded him. And he reflects upon the important life lessons he learned from his service and recovering from devastating wounds.