Episode 76

Dale Comstock

It is important for veterans' experiential wisdom to, well, not die with them. Passing on the lessons learned - the best practices, the frank admissions, the abject failures - is crucial for both a civilian population that may not otherwise relate AND for the veteran population that does. So it would be a shame not to pick the brain of a man who has operated at the highest levels of the DoD, the most exotic assignments in the USG, and the most adventurous sectors of the private security industry. Dale Comstock is a lot more than the bullet points on his resume. That said, he has a lot of bullet points.

Dale served in 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force), 3rd Special Forces Group, and in the 82nd Airborne Division 325th Infantry. He also worked 9.5 years as a paramilitary operative for USG and concurrently worked as a contract security specialist, COO, Vice President, and President for various security companies applying his skills and knowledge on a myriad of security challenges around the world. He has been decorated twice for Valor in combat and is also the famed breacher that explosively breached the Modelo Prison in Panama during the 1989 U.S. invasion and rescue of Kurt Muse. Dale has 6th degree Black Belts in American Open Karate and Extension Fighting, with a 1st degree Black Belt in Ju Jitsu. He is a former professional boxer, kickboxer, and MMA fighter, who authored the 3rd Special Forces Group combatives manual in 1997, instructed the Delta Force combatives program and the 3rd Special Forces Group combatives program. He is a competitive Bodybuilder and actively trains and competes alongside his son. In the world of self-defense Dale has globally managed bodyguard details for high net worth businessman, celebrities, and Politicians. Dale has a Doctorate Natural Health and Alternative Medicine, a Masters Degree in Business and Organizational Security Management, with a Baccalaureates degree in Education. He is fluent in German, with a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese. In September 2011 Dale was featured on Discovery Channel’s “One Man Army,” and in September 2012 he was featured on NBC’s “Stars Earn Stripes” alongside Terry Crews.

Dale is very forthright about his own operating system - what has helped propel his career, his health, his accomplishments and, ultimately, his freedom in life. For all of Dale's successes in the military, contracting, business, and coaching, there are the struggles - the marriages, the single parenting, the supervision of civilian contract security employees. From turning down a life of guaranteed comfort to abandoning Hollywood, I think Dale's life is full of lessons that are more than interesting, they are relevant.

Follow Dale here.

Buy Dale’s autobiography, American Badass here.

About the Podcast

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Profiles in Havok
Making order out of chaos, one long-form interview at a time. A Havok Journal podcast.

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Chris Meyer