--- title: "A retired Navy SEAL’s call to action for veterans to save the American dream" date: "2026-10-14" modified: "2026-10-14" authors: - name: "Stephen Ruiz" job_title: "Editor, Writer" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/stephen.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/veterans/a-retired-navy-seals-call-to-action-for-veterans-to-save-the-american-dream/" categories: - "Veterans" tags: - "Veterans" --- # A retired Navy SEAL’s call to action for veterans to save the American dream ![American dream]() *U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Candice Kidd, 15th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, hangs a U.S. flag in a C-17 Globemaster III for Freedom Fest 250, July 4, 2026. (U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Natalie Jones)* At one of Jason Redman’s lowest moments, his 3-year-old daughter saw him cry. The previous year, Redman was a [Navy]() SEAL deployed to Iraq when insurgents ambushed his unit. Redman was hit eight times during the attack on September 13, 2007, including one round to his face and another that almost took off his left arm. Doctors rebuilt his nose three times, and his myriad injuries ultimately required 37 surgeries. When Redman’s daughter walked into his room, he was at home. His recuperation was not going very well. Infection ravaged his body, medication made him sick, and his arm was fused. Double vision also plagued Redman. “This sucks,” Redman recalled thinking. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” **Also Read:** [**A critically injured Navy SEAL explains why wounded warriors don’t want your pity**]() Redman related that story recently at the 2026 Military Influencer Conference (MIC) in Tampa, Florida. What changed his perspective were three words from his daughter: “What’s wrong, Daddy?” When Redman looked at her, he noticed a sign near the door that he first wrote while he was a patient at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The sign, [which went viral](), speaks of determination, growth, and overcoming adversity. It served as a visual reminder of everything that Redman, 51, stands for. He recovered and is living a full life, one that embodies the American dream. Redman hears the narrative out there that the American dream is dying. He doesn’t believe that and says no one is more equipped than veterans to prove it is alive and well. Here’s his advice for how former service members and their spouses can achieve their goals: ### 1. Write Down Your Hopes and Dreams ![Service members]() *Just because veterans once served in the military doesn't mean they are owed the American dream. (U.S. Army/Staff Sgt. Brandon Roland)* Redman’s sign defined his purpose and, most importantly, made him accountable to himself. He encouraged veterans and their families to do the same. Write down what their American dream is. It varies, of course, depending on the individual. For some, it could be pursuing a college degree. For others, it might be owning a home or running a business. However you define it, commit it to paper or to a document on your computer. That way, it will always remind you of what you are working toward. That dream will be your new mission. “We all need reminders,” said Redman, who served 21 years in the military. “We all need our sign on the door.” ### 2. Become the Leader You Already Are Leadership doesn’t require a fancy title and a six- (or seven-)figure salary in the civilian world. Redman emphasized that point to his audience at MIC. Everyone has the potential to be a leader, none more so than those who served in the military. Veterans know how to plan and execute a mission. They know the sacrifice and responsibility it takes. They make big and small decisions every day. Those qualities are part of becoming a leader, and they begin from within, Redman stressed. “If you learn to lead yourself, that is the most critical person you will ever lead,” Redman said. ### 3. Don’t Let Anything Stop You No amount of planning can account for every unforeseen circumstances. They happen, and that’s true in the military and civilian world. Veterans dealt with adversity on the regular during their time in uniform. Those instances didn’t make them immune to stress, but they learned how to deal with it. In the pursuit of the American dream, problems will arise that threaten to sidetrack you from your ultimate objective. Veterans’ military training provided them a blueprint for how to keep going. “Bad things are going to happen to good people,” Redman said. “There is no magic Yellow Brick Road to success. No one just hands it to you. You have to choose to overcome.” ### 4. Always Forge Ahead ![Kill zone]() *A Special Operations Independent Duty Corpsman provides care to a simulated casualty during mountainous terrain movement training at an undisclosed location, December 15, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Jared Saul)* At MIC, Redman referred to this as “getting off the X”—that point during an attack where you are the most vulnerable. As Redman lay severely wounded in Iraq two decades ago, he knew he couldn’t stay there. He had to do whatever he could to move. “I was literally trying to crawl under a pebble to try to reduce the gunfire and explosions that were hitting me,” Redman recounted. Thankfully, most of us will never face such a life-threatening situation. That doesn’t mean we won’t be confronted with what Redman referred to as a “life ambush.” It might be a divorce, the loss of a job, a serious illness, or the death of a loved one. Whatever the situation, Redman implored his audience not to lose sight of their American dream. “The civilian world sucks at times, but it also presents tremendous opportunities, adversity, and problems,” Redman said. “You have the tools.” ### 5. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks ![Skydiving]() *You don't have to go skydiving to take risks in your life. (U.S. Army photo)* Redman said he used to take wounded warriors and family members of the fallen skydiving. When they prepared to jump, most approached the ramp and took the plunge. Some, though, backed off; they were too scared to leave the relative safety of the airplane. After the fact, some of those who did not jump later told Redman that they wish they had. They were afraid to take a chance, but Redman emphasized that you have to if you are going to make your dream a reality. “People tell me, ‘Jason, you are doing so much,’” Redman said. “... I want to go skipping into the grave on fire, and God goes, ‘Man, nicely done.’ Don’t be one of those timid souls who get to the end of their life, and you’re going to look back in those final moments and they’re like, ‘What if?’” ### 6. Don’t Settle Too often, Redman said, he meets veterans who become satisfied with their daily lives when they could achieve much more. They put off working toward their goals. More than anyone in the United States, veterans realize that another day on this earth isn’t promised. “I have 30 names tattooed on the inside of my arm of friends I either served with or knew who are no longer there, including my best friend,” Redman said. “We are all going to die, so you have to live with intention. You have to embrace life, because you only get one shot.” ### 7. Don’t Be a Victim ![Victim mindset]() *Do you want to be a victim or a victor? (Shutterstock)* Few things unnerve Redman more than when he sees veterans embracing a victim mindset, feeling as though America owes them something. Redman reminded his audience at MIC that the Declaration of Independence includes the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He said it is not the guarantee of happiness. Just like everyone else, veterans have to work for it. The American dream isn’t just going to come to them. Veterans who embrace a victim mindset should ditch it and replace it with a “victor mindset,” Redman said. “America needs you now more than ever,” he said. ### 8. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others Redman called it OCD: [Obsessive Comparison Disorder](). Someone else’s pursuit of the American dream has no bearing on your own. Their success or failure will have no direct correlation to whether you reach your hopes and goals. Comparing yourself to them is just wasted energy. You have to go for everything you want, starting today. “I love this country,” Redman said. “This country provided me an opportunity for the American dream, and it’s provided it for you too. But you have to embrace this life. You’ve got to live greatly.” **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **•** [**Why this military spouse says questioning our elections is an affront to veterans**]() **•** [**What a loved one should know when their veteran is contemplating suicide**]() **•** [**A retired 3-star general’s guide to effective leadership**]() ## Author Stephen Ruiz is an editor and writer at We Are The Mighty. His writing revolves mostly around military history and sports stories, but it can branch into other areas. Stephen has more than 35 years of journalism experience. His career began with stints at The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, Florida, and The Kansas City Star in Missouri, but most of his time was spent on the copy desk at the Orlando Sentinel. After accepting a buyout from the Sentinel in 2020, Stephen worked at Military.com for 4½ years as a content editor and writer. He joined the We Are The Mighty staff in December 2025. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()