--- title: "This is the playlist that got this SEAL out the door" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Shannon Corbeil" job_title: "Contributor, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/scorbeil/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-is-the-playlist-that-got-this-seal-out-the-door/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Music" - "Special Operations" - "Tactical" --- # This is the playlist that got this SEAL out the door ![]() Here's a short list of things we already knew about [Kaj Larsen](): --- 1. He's a former U.S. Navy SEAL 2. He's an Emmy-nominated producer and war correspondent for [VICE]() and he has a masters from Harvard University. 3. He's a total hottie a founder of [The Mission Continues](), an organization that empowers veterans who are adjusting to life at home to find purpose through community impact. But you might not know that he has rather eclectic taste in music and even learned to play while deployed. "We'd sit around as a platoon. A couple of us played guitar, and we'd play and sing and that was extraordinarily significant for me on that first deployment. It helped carry us through." In a conversation with We Are The Mighty, Larsen shares the songs that meant something to him at different moments during his military career — whether it was the shotgun rack in M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" hitting home before a mission, or the patriotism of Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner" during a controversial time in American history. Larsen easily carries the gravitas of a combat-experienced SEAL, but he isn't concerned about being vulnerable. He can laugh about being afraid of his jump training and how R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" helped get him out the door. That's the thing about music — in many ways, it becomes the soundtrack to our lives , and Larsen's has been a rather inspiring one. Check out what he had to say about music and his SEAL career in this video: [And here's his Battle Mix](), just in case you've got some ass kicking of your own to do: ## Author Shannon Corbeil has worked for We Are The Mighty as a digital video producer, writer, and host, as well as a staff writer covering military history, trivia, and valor. Shannon is a fierce veteran advocate, covering the achievements of members of the military community and volunteering in multiple veteran non-profit organizations, including Pin-Ups for Vets and Warriors for Peace Theatre. Her undergraduate degree is in Humanities and Philosophy and her Masters is in Strategic Intelligence. A screenwriter and actor recently seen on SEAL TEAM and THE ROOKIE, Shannon writes about exciting projects in the entertainment industry. She is an alum of the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project, a Finalist in the Disney TV Writing Fellowship, an inaugural fellow for the STARZ/VME #TakeTheLead Program, and has performed at the Geffen Playhouse and Kennedy Center as a writer, dancer, singer, and actor. As a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Shannon supported the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea, and conducted Cyber Threat Analysis at the National Security Agency. Her work has been seen in Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Military.com, and various other publications. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()