High in the mountains and deep in the night, a U.S. Navy Rescue Swimmer faces an impossible decision: attempt a risky extraction or leave someone behind. This episode unpacks the intensity of a real nighttime mountain rescue where every second mattered—and lives were on the line.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Melissa Dixon is a former U.S. Navy Surface Rescue Swimmer turned Aviation Rescue Swimmer. In this second part of her interview, Melissa talks about her time assigned to NAS Whidbey SAR in Washington State. She includes a hectic life and death situation she encountered during a rescue in the Cascade Range. (Part 2)So Others May Live! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

A dark night, a rough sea, and a U.S. Navy destroyer present one of the most unpredictable rescue missions yet. Hear how a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer braved chaos and towering swells to save lives off the side of a moving warship.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Melissa Dixon is a former U.S. Navy Surface Rescue Swimmer turned Aviation Rescue Swimmer. In this first part of her interview, Melissa takes us through the differences in training plus includes a hectic night rescue from a Destroyer underway. (Part 1)So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

Massive swells. Pitch-black night. Persian Gulf. In this gripping episode, a Navy Rescue Swimmer recounts one of the most intense nighttime rescues of his career. With lives hanging in the balance and the ocean stacked against him, every move was a calculated risk.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Mike Larson is a retired U.S. Navy Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer with over 20 years of service. Mike was my class leader in Rescue Swimmer School and went on to a full career with multiple deployments. He describes a rescue in high sea state in the Persian Gulf and the mindset required to remain calm in the chaos.So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

Navy Rescue Swimmer is lowered onto a narrow ledge during one of the most dangerous rescues in Hawaii’s rugged terrain. This wasn’t just a mission—it was a balancing act between precision, adrenaline, and survival.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Bill ‘Red Dogg’ Moss is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer with 28 years of service. Bill provides detailed experiences from the early days of the program and insight into a cliffside rescue with little margin for error.So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

A high-speed ejection. A mangled parachute. A life hanging in the balance. In this intense episode, a Navy Rescue Swimmer recounts a brutal pilot recovery following a failed ejection. What he witnessed will stay with him forever—and now, it’s your turn to hear the story.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Jonathan Showerman is a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with 26 years of service. Jonathan shares some gruesome recoveries that unfortunately come with the job. He also shares perspectives on the early days of training vs todays as he continues to shape the program as a civilian working at ARSS.So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

Tangled in his chute and sinking fast, a pilot was running out of time. At 30 feet below the surface, a Navy Rescue Swimmer made an impossible decision in a high-stakes underwater recovery that pushed his limits and training to the edge.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Rick Shoaf is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with 30 years of service. Rick talks about time as a rescue swimmer in the early days of the job as he paved the way for the current program. His determination to save the life of a pilot dragged 30’ underwater by a parachute turned into a sea anchor shows the unwavering mindset of a man willing to risk it all to save another.So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

A catastrophic helicopter crash left wreckage scattered and lives hanging by a thread. In this gripping episode, a Navy Rescue Swimmer recounts a mission that defied the odds—where survival wasn’t just unlikely, it was almost impossible.Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Cory Merritt is a retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with 21 years of service. Cory talks about a unique man overboard rescue and then transitions into a live televised SH-60F helicopter crash during an HA/DR mission-set during the Sumatra tsunami.So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories!Have you ever experienced a near-death moment? Share it in the comments. For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

Episode 1 launches with an intense rescue story that sets the tone for the entire series. A Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer faces a brutal decision during a raging swift water rescue—where one wrong move could cost lives. What does it take to make a call when every second counts?Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers Eric Williamson is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with over 24 rescues. He brings us through a life or death decision to save a life and the mindset it took to succeed. Eric also played a significant role in my rescue swimmer journey, which we didn't realize until this talk! So Others May Live!Subscribe for more real-life survival stories! For more content, subscribe to our channel and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast:Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ #NavySpecialOperationsPodcast #RescueSwimmerPodcast #MilitaryPodcast

The Calm in the Chaos Podcast is a platform to share untold heroic experiences and dive into the mindset of the U.S. Navy's unsung heroes - Aviation Rescue Swimmers.

Host BRIAN DICKINSON is a former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, Solo Mount Everest Summiteer, and Bestselling Author. His survival experience on Everest, where he descended blind and alone from the summit led him to explore what's different about the individuals willing to risk their lives to save others.

So Others May Live!