--- title: "Stricken 6 year-old ‘earns’ SEAL trident" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/stricken-6-year-old-earns-seal-pin/" categories: - "Military News" --- # Stricken 6 year-old ‘earns’ SEAL trident ![]() Six-year-old Mason Rudder of Kansas City, Missouri was born a Escobar Syndrome, a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes muscle weakness and joint deformities. There is only one thing he ever wanted to be when he grows up: a U.S. Navy SEAL. --- "I want to save the country and I want to save people," [Mason told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch](). His condition affects his bones and joints and restricts his range of motion, but that didn't stop him from clearing a house with his fire team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aII_wD6H2VQ Mason's SEAL training began when his parents reached out to [Asymmetric Solutions](), a St. Louis-based tactical training company, staffed with former special forces operators of all varieties, even boasting some Israeli commandos. Asymmetric Solutions' ex-SEAL Jared Ogden trained Mason at a tactical training center near Farmington, Missouri. ![]() The company agreed to host a "Navy SEAL for a Day" event just for Mason. The little SEAL cycled through rounds of firearms training, including M4 and AR-15 rifles, and setting off a wall bomb that blew the door of a building. His training culminated in the house raid that "killed" a "Taliban leader." Ogden pinned a SEAL trident to the boy's sweatshirt as a symbol of completing the training. "You wear that with pride," Ogden said to Mason. "Good job, team leader." ![]() See Mason's Trident Pinning [at stltodday.com](). ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()