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Not every rescue swimmer's story is about the water. Some of the most important ones are about who gets built in the schoolhouse.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, newly retired Senior Chief Jeff Plowman looks back on 26 years and 10 deployments as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer — a career that started with a recruiter's pitch to "jump out of helicopters" and ended full circle, back at Pensacola's Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, this time running it as the Leading Chief Petty Officer. Jeff opens up about a DUI that nearly ended his Navy career, the senior leaders who fought to keep him in, and how that second chance shaped him into the instructor who trained the next generation of swimmers.
From surviving his own SAR School training to becoming the guy marching students down the seawall, Jeff's story is a study in what leadership actually looks like inside one of the toughest pipelines in the military.
In this episode:
Jeff Plowman never got the dramatic open-ocean rescue — but he spent 26 years making sure the next swimmer would be ready for theirs.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 65
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer, #NavyRescueSwimmer, #AviationRescueSwimmer, #CalmInTheChaos, #JeffPlowman, #SeniorChief, #SARInstructor, #RescueSwimmerSchool, #Pensacola, #NavyLeadership, #SecondChances, #FullCircle, #NavyRetirement, #USNavy, #NavyVeteran, #MilitaryVeteran, #SearchAndRescue, #SAR, #MilitaryPodcast, #VeteranStories, #ResiliencePodcast, #MilitaryResilience, #LeadershipUnderFire, #MentalToughness, #ServiceAndSacrifice, #BrianDickinson, #VeteranPodcast, #DontQuit
Some men are forged by the ocean. Dave Hancock was forged by fire long before he ever hit the water.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Dave Hancock shares 21 years of service as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer — a career that began after a childhood almost no one survives: born premature and given up for dead, raised in migrant farm labor camps, and left permanently scarred by a half-brother who shot him, stabbed him, and threw him off a 40-foot bridge at age 6. Dave trained under Vietnam-era combat search and rescue instructors, survived a brutal Rescue Swimmer School, and went on to face down a 10-11 foot bull shark mid-rescue during a man-overboard call in open ocean.
And that's just the Navy chapter. After his service, Dave spent 16 years as a police officer, worked as a boxing pro and a high school teacher, and quietly battled suicidal thoughts before faith changed the trajectory of his entire life.
In this episode:
Dave Hancock's story proves the deepest wounds don't have to write the ending — sometimes they're just the beginning of the mission.
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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 64
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer, #NavyRescueSwimmer, #AviationRescueSwimmer, #CalmInTheChaos, #DaveHancock, #BullSharkEncounter, #ManOverboard, #CombatSearchAndRescue, #ChildhoodTrauma, #Overcomer, #FaithOverFear, #FromPainToPurpose, #GenerationalHealing, #PoliceOfficer, #BoxingPro, #NavyVeteran, #MilitaryVeteran, #VeteranHealth, #SoOthersMayLive, #SearchAndRescue, #SAR, #MilitaryPodcast, #VeteranStories, #ResiliencePodcast, #MilitaryResilience, #LeadershipUnderFire, #MentalToughness, #ServiceAndSacrifice, #BrianDickinson, #VeteranPodcast, #TestimonyOfFaith
A Navy SEAL missed the deck during a night fast-rope insertion, and it fell to Shane Hallesy to go in after him—one small piece of a career that spans Navy rescue swimmer, Army Blackhawk pilot, and federal law enforcement aviator.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Shane Hallesy shares 5 years as a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer followed by 30-plus years in the Army National Guard—flying Blackhawk medevac missions over western Iraq embedded with the Marines, changing tactics mid-deployment to keep from getting shot down, and later flying maritime interdiction for Customs and Border Protection in Puerto Rico.
In this episode:
From the flight deck to the desert to the border, Shane Hallesy never stopped being the guy who goes in after people.
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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 63
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer, #NavyRescueSwimmer, #AviationRescueSwimmer, #CalmInTheChaos, #IraqWar, #BlackhawkPilot, #DustOff, #Medevac, #NationalGuard, #ArmyNationalGuard, #SearchAndRescue, #SAR, #NavySEAL, #USNavy, #NavyVeteran, #MilitaryVeteran, #CustomsAndBorderProtection, #LawEnforcement, #SoOthersMayLive, #MilitaryPodcast, #VeteranStories, #ResiliencePodcast, #ServiceAndSacrifice, #BrianDickinson, #VeteranPodcast, #HonorTheFallen
Scott Haskell and his crewmate Tater have a standing joke: they're one of the only rescue swimmers who ever rescued a rescue swimmer.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Anthony Haskell shares 20 years in Naval Aviation—from a 100-mile scramble to recover a downed EA-6B crew, to a secret six-day mission into Iraq to bring home an ejected F-18 pilot, to a flight deck wire-snap that nearly took his crew out and earned his aircraft a painted purple heart. After the Navy, he kept saving lives as a drill instructor, combat pool instructor, police officer, and lifeguard trainer.
In this episode:
Two decades of recoveries, rescues, and near-misses—and a career that never stopped saving people, in or out of uniform.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 62
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #IraqWar #F18 #CSAR #SearchAndRescue #SAR #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #FlightDeck #CarrierAviation #DrillInstructor #LawEnforcement #LifeguardInstructor #SoOthersMayLive #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #HonorTheFallen #LeaveNoManBehind
A last-minute decision to re-enlist and go home to get married kept Bryan Huggett off the USS Stark—just months before it was struck by two Iraqi Exocet missiles.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Bryan shares 20 years of service split between the U.S. Navy and the Michigan Army National Guard: flying tanker escorts through Persian Gulf minefields during the Iran-Iraq War, rescuing a flipped Zodiac while sharks circled below, and later trading Navy wings for a decade as a Huey crew chief fighting wildfires and training Navy SEALs for Afghanistan.
In this episode:
Two branches, two decades, and one calm head no matter what got thrown at him.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 61
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #USSStark #PersianGulf #IranIraqWar #USSSamuelBRoberts #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #MichiganNationalGuard #ArmyNationalGuard #HueyCrewChief #SearchAndRescue #SAR #SEALTeam #NeverForget #SoOthersMayLive #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #HonorTheFallen
Collin Koss built a remarkable Navy career as a Rescue Swimmer, performing multiple rescues at sea before witnessing one of the most harrowing moments imaginable — an F/A-18 ejection that struck the back of the carrier. Later, Collin made the jump to officer, leading from the front and shaping the next generation of sailors. Now, with retirement on the horizon, he reflects on a career of service, sacrifice, and lessons that will last a lifetime.
In this episode, Collin shares the highs and lows of his journey — from rescues in the fleet to the burden of command — and the perspective that only comes with decades in uniform.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 43
So Others May Live! 🫡🇺🇸
Keep Calm in the Chaos Merch
(Link in bio or https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com)
Military and First Responders get 10% discount with code: SARRESCUE10 applied at checkout
100% of proceeds go to support the podcast!
#NavyRescueSwimmer #USNavy #HelicopterRescue #CombatRescue #MilitaryPodcast #NavalAviation #CarrierLife #F18 #RescueSwimmer #MilitaryLife #VeteranStories #SearchAndRescue #AviationPodcast #MilitaryHistory
Some warriors fight their battles in the ocean. Others fight them long after the uniform comes off.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Kevin McNease shares 20 years of service as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer—including a harrowing rescue in the South China Sea, pulling a Marine from the water who was still gripping his weapon, and one of the most terrifying mechanical failures imaginable: losing a helicopter door mid-flight—only to watch it shred through the rotor system.
And then there's the battle he's fighting now.
Kevin has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And he's facing it the same way he faced every mission—with courage, clarity, and calm in the chaos.
In this episode:
Kevin McNease gave 20 years to this nation. His story—every chapter of it—deserves to be heard.
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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 58
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #Parkinsons #ParkinsonsWarrior #ParkinsonsAwareness #SouthChinaSea #NavyRescue #MarineCorps #HelicopterFailure #MechanicalFailure #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #VeteranHealth #SoOthersMayLive #SearchAndRescue #SAR #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #MilitaryResilience #LeadershipUnderFire #MentalToughness #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #HonorTheFallen
Some missions go wrong before they even begin. Others turn into something no one could have planned for.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Richard Swope shares his career as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer—including two of the most intense moments a rescue swimmer can face: surviving a helicopter crash at night in the open ocean during an active rescue, and gaining sonobuoy contact on a Russian submarine trailing a U.S. aircraft carrier—moments before a collision with the carrier itself.
These aren't training scenarios. These are the real missions that define what it means to operate at the edge of human capability—in the dark, in the water, with no margin for error.
In this episode:
Richard Swope's story is a masterclass in staying calm when the situation is anything but. This is exactly what the Calm in the Chaos podcast was built for.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 57
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #HelicopterCrash #NavyHelicopter #RussianSubmarineContact #ColdWarNavy #AircraftCarrier #NavyMilitary #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #SoOthersMayLive #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #RescueMission #SearchAndRescue #SAR #NavalAviation #OpenOceanRescue #SurvivalStory #MilitaryStories #SpecialOperations #ResiliencePodcast #LeadershipPodcast #MentalToughness #MilitaryLeadership #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast
The whole world watched the Orion capsule splash down in the Pacific and the U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer hanging from a cable beneath an MH-60S Sea Hawk—lowered down to bring the astronauts home from the Moon.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Chris Upton shares what it was like to be one of the Aviation Rescue Swimmers on the hoist during the historic Artemis II recovery. After NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down off the coast of San Diego—returning from humanity's first lunar mission in over 50 years—Chris was part of the team trusted to physically bring them up out of the Pacific and onto the helicopter that would deliver them to the USS John P. Murtha.
This is the view from the cable.
Chris takes us inside the training, the rehearsals, the precision, and the quiet pressure of being the person at the end of the hoist when the world is watching—and four lives are in your hands.
In this episode:
Chris Upton was part of one of the most historic recovery missions in modern naval aviation. His story is a window into the quiet professionalism of the men and women who live by four words: So Others May Live.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 60
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#ArtemisII #Artemis2 #ArtemisIIRecovery #NASA #OrionCapsule #Splashdown #AstronautRecovery #MoonMission #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #USSJohnPMurtha #HSC23 #SeaHawk #MH60S #HelicopterRescue #HoistRescue #RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #NavyRecovery #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #SoOthersMayLive #SearchAndRescue #SAR #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #LeadershipUnderFire #MentalToughness #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #SpaceRecovery #NASARecovery #PacificOcean #SanDiego
When NASA's Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego, four astronauts came home from the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. And right there—feet from the capsule, voice on the radio, eyes on every moving piece—was a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Sean “Sondy” Sondergaard takes us inside one of the most historic recovery missions in modern naval aviation history—the Artemis II astronaut recovery. From the safety boat positioned right next to the Orion capsule, Sean was coordinating communications between the divers, the helicopters, the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha, and NASA's Landing and Recovery team as Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen were brought home from lunar orbit.
But Artemis II is just one chapter.
Sean shares what it takes to earn the wings of a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, the missions that shaped him, and what it felt like to be part of a team trusted by NASA to bring astronauts safely back to Earth.
In this episode:
Sean Sondergaard's story is a reminder that behind every historic mission is a team of quiet professionals doing the hard, dangerous, precise work the world rarely sees.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 59
So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸
Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off 100% of proceeds support the podcast
📖 Calm in the Chaos — The Book by Brian Dickinson Available at www.briandickinson.net
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: [email protected]
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson
Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers
#ArtemisII #Artemis2 #ArtemisIIRecovery #NASA #OrionCapsule #Splashdown #AstronautRecovery #MoonMission #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #USSJohnPMurtha #HSC23 #RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #NavyRecovery #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #SoOthersMayLive #SearchAndRescue #SAR #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #LeadershipUnderFire #MentalToughness #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #SpaceRecovery #NASARecovery #PacificOcean #SanDiego
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