#332 Alex West - SEAL Team 6 Operator on Crashing a Black Hawk Into Bin Laden's Backyard

Alex West, a retired Navy SEAL with 20 years of service and 15 combat deployments, including Operation Neptune Spear which killed Osama bin Laden, shares his extraordinary life story. From a childhood spent in various African nations amidst political turmoil, to the elite ranks of SEAL Team 3 and DEVGRU's Red Squadron, West's experiences forged him into a formidable warrior. However, the cumulative trauma of combat, culminating in the the loss of Extortion 17, led him down a dark path, from which he emerged to dedicate his life to healing and helping others.

A Childhood Forged in Africa

Born in Ladybrand, South Africa, Alex West's early life was anything but ordinary. His father, a World Bank employee, and his mother, a school teacher, moved their family to the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho, an independent black nation within apartheid-era South Africa. West recalls the constant presence of danger, including a car bomb detonating on their street and armed guards protecting their home. His mother, concerned for their safety, eventually moved the family back to the United States when Alex was 10. However, before that, they spent five years in Cairo, Egypt, a period West remembers fondly for its diverse international community.

Living in Cairo, West attended an international school with students from embassies around the world. This upbringing instilled in him a deep appreciation for different cultures and a non-judgmental perspective that would serve him well throughout his life. He recounts a particularly harrowing experience during a riot in Cairo, where he and other children were scooped off a tennis court by teachers as machine-gun fire erupted around them. His mother, trying to reassure him, told him it was just