In this raw and final entry of the Drop on Request story, Part 2 of 2, Brian Plemmons revisits the precise moment he walked away from BUD/s Class 200. What began as a fight against failure turns into a confrontation with identity, pride, and the myth of invincibility. Through quiet rage, defiance, and reflection, he unpacks what it means to quit, and how that act can become the genesis of rebirth.

From the clang of the bell to the silence of his own breath, Noah’s Sky captures the split second where a man stops running from himself and finally looks up.

Key Themes:

The psychology of quitting — how DOR becomes both death and deliverance.

The mythology of toughness — how cultural, military, and masculine expectations fracture under truth.

Identity reconstruction — from “SEAL hopeful” to philosopher, father, and storyteller.

Systemic insight — how systems create performance myths, and what happens when an individual rejects them.

The rebirth metaphor — “Noah’s Sky” as a symbolic cleansing, flood, and renewal.

Subscribe to Lion in the Mirror on Substack for the written series and reflections that expand on each episode. Follow Brian on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter for behind-the-scenes updates as he builds One Day a Lion, his memoir of failure, system rebirth, and Appalachian redemption.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit onedayalion.substack.com