This is a truly inspiring story of a US Special Forces soldier who was medically retired after stepping on an IED, and his incredible return to active duty. Sergeant First Class (SFC) Ryan Hendrickson is a brave, determined, and courageous soldier shares this his story of courage, determination and honor. As a Green Beret clearing the way for his twelve-man team while conducting combat operations against the Taliban. He is the “tip of the spear,” who ensures that the route taken by American and Afghan troops are free of improvised explosive devices. While on mission in 2010 and knowing that he was in “uncleared” territory, Ryan stepped on an IED. It resulted in a devastating injury to his right leg. After undergoing dozens of reconstructive surgeries and a painful rehabilitation, he was medically retired but fought to return to active duty. Despite all the adds Ryan passed a series of crucial physical tests was able to rejoin the Green Berets within a year and physically perform his duties, redeploying to Afghanistan in March 2012. In 2016, he volunteered to return to Afghanistan with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group. During a firefight with the Taliban, he risked his life under heavy enemy fire to rescue three Afghan soldiers cut off from friendly forces and return the bodies of two dead Afghan soldiers under the ethos that “no one gets left behind.” For his heroic efforts on the battlefield, SFC Ryan Hendrickson was awarded a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor. Additionally, he also received 4 Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and an Army Commendation Medal with Valor. In the second part of the interview Mr. Hendrickson speaks about spending over two months in Ukraine which has been fighting a full scale Russian invasion. He worked as a volunteer delivering humanitarian aid to the newly liberated by the Ukrainian troops areas and risking his life to make a difference in the lives of so many people! This two-part interview is an absolute must to watch! Thank you for all great service, Sergeant First Class Ryan Hendrickson!

Interview with Gene Panasenko on  STRAIGHT & UNFILTERED