Combat Story (Ep 34): Kevin Flike | Special Forces | Green Beret Foundation | Wounded By War | Purple Heart

Combat Story

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear the Combat Story of Kevin Flike, a former Green Beret and Purple Heart recipient who served multiple deployments, including two to Afghanistan.

Kevin was shot in the abdomen during his second deployment and took years recovering from the associated physical and emotional scars and has shown that it is possible to not only fully recover from such an injury, but to thrive.

He is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, sits on the Board of Directors at the Green Beret Foundation, is a sought out motivational speaker, and shares his story of perseverance through a blog and outreach series called Wounded by War, which includes a documentary on his recovery.

Kevin was recommended to me by Beau Wise, a former guest on the show who lost two of his brothers to the war in Afghanistan, one of whom knew Kevin. Kevin and Beau have become like brothers. I hope you enjoy this inspiring insight from the brink of death to tremendous success as much as I did.

Find Kevin online: LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinflike/ Instagram @woundedbywar Wounded by War www.woundedbywar.com Find Ryan online: Follow on Instagram @combat_stories Email [e-mail] Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle #greenberetfoundation #specialforces #kevinflike #veteran #combatstory #army #specialops #specialoperations Show Notes 0:00 - Intro 1:04 - Guest introduction 2:38 - Person in common: Beau Wise (as viewers will recall from a previous interview who was the sole survivor of three boys in the Wise family to make it home from Afghanistan). 21:03 - Decision to enlist out of college via the 18X program. 32:52 - Kevin’s strengths and perfect fit with the Green Berets. 34:50 - Learning to manage expectations when teaching, fighting, and working with others. 39:38 - Combat Story #1: Afghanistan (Kunduz) 2010. 46:11 - Combat Story #2: First firefight. 54:27 - How to process the “addiction” to war looking back now. 59:55 - Combat Story #3: The mission that led to Kevin’s significant injury. 1:09:55 - What goes through your mind when you’re shot and think you might die. 1:15:06 - Wounded By War (www.woundedbywar.com) 1:20:05 - Motivational Speaking to companies, communities, schools and the Green Beret Foundation 1:21:50 - What did you carry with you into combat? 1:22:40 - Would you do it again?