Afghan Refugee Turned Marine & Green Beret | Ep. 266

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Afghan Refugee Turned Marine & Green Beret | Ep. 266 In Episode 266 of the Mike Drop Podcast, Mike Ritland sits down with Kawa Mawlayee—the first Afghan-born Green Beret—for a raw talk on war, immigration, and identity. Kawa recounts fleeing Soviet-invaded Afghanistan, losing his father, and growing up as a refugee in Nebraska before serving 21 years across the Marines and Army, including Iraq’s invasion and the battle of Fallujah. They dive into today’s immigration crisis, where Kawa contrasts his own integration with the current border chaos and even imagines how he’d fix ICE. Kawa reflects on leadership failures, resilience, and the cost of service—told with the blunt honesty only veterans share. ---------- Support Kawa Mawlayee https://www.instagram.com/kawa_m_official/ https://www.instagram.com/2alpha_traininggroup/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kawa-mawlayee https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10340302/ ---------- SPONSORS NAVY SEALS FITNESS APP | HYBRID STRENGTH & CONDITIONING TRAINING Train like a SEAL with Mike Ritland's App. Build real-world strength, endurance and resilience. https://www.coachos-app.com/navy-seals BUBS Naturals BUBS Naturals products are rooted in sustainably sourced ingredients and controlled consistency to provide our customers with the highest quality Collagen Protein & MCT Oil Powder that help you feel amazing and live a fuller life. Beam Here’s the deal: Beam is giving my listeners the ultimate patriot discount of UP TO 40% off. Try their best‑selling Dream Powder and get UP TO 40% off for a limited time. Go to https://shopbeam.com/products/dream-powder-4?variant=41387075567671&selling_plan=1794441271&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=sponsorship&utm_campaign=mikedrop&code=applied15&discount=MIKEDROP and use code MIKEDROP at checkout. Mizzen & Main Mizzen & Main is offering our listeners 20% off your first purchase at mizzenandmain.com, promo code MIKEDROP20. TEAM DOG FOOD, TREATS & SUPPLEMENTS Be Your Dog’s Hero: Veteran-owned by a former Navy SEAL and Special Operations K9 Trainer, Team Dog provides a complete diet of science-backed premium dog food, treats, and supplements to optimize your dog’s health, forged from rigorous standards and real-world expertise. https://www.teamdog.shop TEAM DOG ONLINE TRAINING Mike Ritland – a former Navy SEAL & Special Operations K9 trainer – shares his simple and effective dog training program to build trust and control with your dog. Based on Mike’s bestselling book “Team Dog, Train the Navy SEAL Way”, join tens of thousands of families that successfully trained their way to a better dog. https://www.teamdog.pet SHOP ALL THE MIKE RITLAND BRANDS Get all your Mike Ritland branded gear - Mike Drop | Trikos | Team Dog https://shop.mikeritland.com CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:55 UFO Show Fail 00:10:31 Water-Sucking UFO 00:13:40 Black Flags 00:24:02 Shallot EDC 00:28:20 Dad Killed by Russians 00:41:21 80s/90s Midwest Life 00:46:38 America Changed 00:52:12 ICE Raid Problems 01:02:44 Joining Marines Pre-9/11 01:04:26 Marine Corps Identity 01:09:40 Marine Fight Over Jokes 01:12:23 First Iraq Combat 01:17:09 Cultural Edge in War 01:19:03 Fallujah: Phantom Fury 01:21:25 Leadership Failures 01:31:39 Families Return to Ruins 01:36:01 Iraq & Afghan Lies 01:50:46 WWII: Last Just War? 01:53:46 Post-9/11 Alternatives 01:58:52 Why Not Saudi? 01:59:00 Netanyahu’s Push 02:00:02 Ad Break 02:01:35 AIPAC/ADL Power 02:04:20 Why 10x to Ukraine 02:06:22 Ukraine Proxy War 02:10:27 Ukraine Nazi Ties 02:19:03 Scofield & Zionism 02:27:31 Land Loss Map 02:32:02 Why Arabs Refuse Refugees 02:42:44 1947 to 2025 02:52:19 Muslim Nations Silent 02:54:00 Why Iran Won’t 02:58:30 Proxy Wars 101 03:01:35 Marines to SF 03:02:00 SEAL Respect 03:04:04 Green Beret vs SEAL 03:06:56 Joining 5th Group 03:08:08 Marine vs Army Culture 03:10:20 11 Deployments 03:11:04 Back to Afghanistan 03:15:15 Can We Get ’80s Back? 03:19:11 Hold GOP & Trump 03:20:40 Trump’s Style 03:21:51 Tariffs = Tax 03:44:45 Israel Breaks Truces 03:47:44 UN Peacekeeper Plan 03:55:14 Unique Perspective 03:57:45 US Foreign Policy Hypocrisy 04:00:26 Accountability Push 04:00:57 Texas Funds Israel 04:03:17 Kirk Assassination Doubts 04:04:30 What Happened to Kirk? 04:05:01 Kirk’s Early Backers 04:09:22 Candace Owens 04:11:36 JFK/Epstein/9-11 Files 04:12:46 Hegseth Speech 04:14:29 Women in Combat 04:24:53 Uniting Over Epstein 04:30:57 Racism Is Manufactured 04:33:20 Foreign Influence Online 04:46:14 Culture vs Religion 04:51:11 Modern Crusades 04:55:49 9/11 = Surveillance State 04:57:18 Final Message 04:58:51 Swag & Rodeo 04:59:03 Find Kawa 05:00:42 Wrap-Up #TheMikeDropPodcast #MikeRitland #veteran #Geopolitics #MikeRitlandPodcast #KawaMawlayee #GreenBeret #SpecialForces #AfghanRefugee #SovietInvasion #FallujahBattle #IraqWar #MarineVeteran #ArmyVeteran #BorderCrisis #ImmigrationPolicy #ICEReform #TrumpAdministration #HollywoodConsulting #UFOEncounters #CombatTrauma #MoralInjury #WarMemoir #VeteranStories