Ben Seekell is an active-duty Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force and recipient of the Purple Heart, which is the oldest Military Decoration and given to those who are wounded or killed while fighting the nation’s wars. The Purple Heart is a solemn distinction and means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves, or paid the ultimate price, while in the line of duty.
Full Audio Episode with Chapter Markers AND Topics:
https://passingthetorch.buzzsprout.com/1946508/12511782-ep-28-your-capacity-is-limitless-with-ben-seekell
FULL VIDEO Episode with Chapter Markers AND Topics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVzZGz6PtRA
More info about the guest:
Per the book Courage Under Fire: True Stories of Bravery from the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines - On May 8, 2011, Chief Seekell and his military working dog, Charlie, joined a security mission. As they returned to Bagram Airfield, they stepped on a landmine. The ground exploded, sending Chief Seekell and Charlie sailing through the air. Not aware that his leg was almost completely torn off, Chief Seekell tried calling out to members of his team. He was especially worried about his canine partner. Charlie suffered several shrapnel wounds and cowered in terror from the noise.
Chief Seekell faced a long, painful recovery. He had five surgeries, which included the amputation of his foot. He also struggled through about five hours of intense physical therapy every day. But Chief Seekell was determined to work with Charlie again. Only eight months after losing his foot, he passed the Air Force fitness test. Chief Seekell once again returned to active duty with Charlie at his side.
My Links
Podcast: https://www.passingthetorchpod.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC04suOPTX3ny_M0aDxmBAXQ
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pttorch
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torchmartin/
TRANSCRIPT:
And that was, that day was the catalyst that just kind of blew all that out of the water. And I have to decide whether I'm just going to sit there and stare at the rubble or start picking up bricks. It was a light switch for sure. Actually, kind of, it does lead into my next question is as you were going through the surgeries, therapy, and just moving forward with your life, was there anything you learned from your childhood that helped you persevere during this time in your life? You know, sometimes when your parents teach you things and you realize later that you should have appreciated it a lot more or you didn't know that they were doing that thing at the time, you thought maybe your parents were being extra about it, but they were actually trying to get through to you.