Green Beret Officer on 9/11 at West Point, Ranger Regiment, Helmand, and Afghan Commando Wars

On 9/11, Chane Jackson was in Arabic class at West Point. He went on to lead infantry in Iraq and Afghanistan, serve in Ranger Regiment and Special Forces, fight in Helmand and Kajaki, and have a bullet graze his neck while calling in airstrikes. Here he walks through loss, leadership, Afghan commandos, and life after war. This conversation about struggle, resilience, combat leadership, loss, and what it means to keep pushing forward when everyone says you can't.What we talk about:The childhood that shaped him—single mom, tough neighborhood, academic struggles that almost ended everythingHow a brutal West Point professor taught him the mental toughness that would save his life in combatRanger Regiment and learning what it takes to lead elite soldiersGetting his Green Beret and deploying to Afghanistan with ODA 3422 Months of sustained combat in Kajaki—getting shot at on infill, firefights that never seemed to endThe day Master Sergeant Gregory Trent was killed (we covered Greg's story in a seven-part series with ODA 3424)What it's like holding someone's skull together while praying they make it homeLeading through loss while staying mission-focusedTeaching at West Point and mentoring the next generationTransition to tech—teaching himself data science and building AI systems for SOCOMWhy he left the military and started two franchisesD1 Training: athletic performance for youth and adults using cutting-edge technologyGame Day Men's Health: veteran-owned TRT and men's wellness clinic *CHAPTERS:* 00:00:00 Intro and who Chane is today 00:05:00 Humble leader, bio and combat career overview 00:15:00 Childhood in Maryland and parents’ struggles 00:25:00 Growing up without a father and breaking cycles 00:35:00 Music & arts magnet school and not fitting the mold 00:45:00 Black Male Achievement Program and first exposure to STEM 00:55:00 Diversity, equity, inclusion as opportunity (not lowered standards) 01:05:00 Science & tech high school, coaches and finding running 01:15:00 Getting humbled in sprint tryouts and discovering distance 01:25:00 Coach Martin Ellis: resilience, mileage, and standards 01:35:00 Path to VMI, costs, and first look at military colleges 01:45:00 Discovering the service academies and Air Force dream 01:55:00 Congressional nomination board and the pivot to West Point 02:05:00 Not getting in, enlisting plan, and USMAPS prep school detour 02:15:00 West Point life: shared suffering and leadership lessons 02:25:00 Major Hater, the infamous “H+” paper, and academic resilience 02:35:00 Finding academic excellence and building peer tutoring 02:45:00 Graduating, branch night, and choosing infantry 02:55:00 First deployment to Afghanistan and early combat leadership 03:15:00 Heavy losses, accidental shootings, and not processing trauma 03:35:00 Battlefield fatigue, pulling guys off the line, and hard calls 03:55:00 Volunteering for 173rd and chasing Ranger Regiment 04:15:00 Ranger officer RASP, the board “cheating” scare, and earning trust 04:35:00 Life in Ranger Regiment vs. conventional units 04:55:00 Discovering Special Forces and fighting branch for SFAS 05:15:00 SFAS as an older captain and getting selected 05:35:00 ODA life, Helmand and Kajaki firefights, and Afghan commandos 05:55:00 Green‑on‑blue threats, bullet grazing his neck, and hard missions 06:15:00 Rotations, family strain, and switching to data science (ORSA) 06:35:00 West Point instructor, judo coach, and mentoring future leaders 06:55:00 Pentagon, Army AI Task Force, SOF data science and Syria story 07:10:00 Afghanistan withdrawal, AI in war, mental health, and life after service ⚔️Follow Chane Jackson 📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/chaneszj D1 Training Center Austin, Texas (owned by Chane) 📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/d1jollyvilletx 📘 Facebook:   / d1jollyvilletx   Game Day Mens Health Tampa, FL (owned by Chane) 📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/gamedaytempleterrace 📘 Facebook   / gamedaytempleterrace   Serious supplements "For Those that Run Towards" https://hoplitenutrition.com?utm_sour... Use Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off 🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/ @TheVanguardWall Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguard... The Vanguard Wall Merch: ⬇️ https://www.thevanguardwall.com?utm_s... Social Media: ⬇️ The Vanguard Wall Podcast Instagram   / thevanguardwallpodcast   The Vanguard Wall Podcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Want to sponsor the show? Email: ⬇️ [email protected] #SpecialForces #GreenBeret #RangerRegiment #Military #Veterans #Leadership #CombatStories #entrepreneurship