CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 22 Retired Master Chief, Frank Leets, served 27 years as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Frank went from rocking the stage to powering thru some of the toughest times in rescue swimmer training then onto a fulfilling career of historic rescues. He speaks in depth about the amazing feat conducted on Mount Baker, recovering 2 fallen climbers in some of the most arduous mountain conditions. The rescue pushed the H3 and it’s crew to their limits, which was incl...
May 14, 2025•59 min•Ep. 22
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 21 U.S. Aviation Rescue Swimmer Bubba Norris and Crew Chief Dan McNamara rescued an F-14 pilot in shark infested waters in SoCal. They describe their quick reaction and focused mindset when they got the call for two F-14’s crashing into the Pacific. So Others May Live!
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 21
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 20 Sean Tracy spent 6 years as a U.S. Aviation Rescue Swimmer with multiple rescues. He then moved onto extreme adventures climbing mountains and ultra marathons and distilling spirits. http://spirit-trips.com https://www.hewnspirits.com So Others May Live!
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 20
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 19 Huck Collins started his 22 year Naval career as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer before becoming an officer and helicopter pilot. We share some fun stories from our time in SAR school together in 1993 and Huck brings us through an interesting rescue in the Persian Gulf, which started as a humanitarian effort gone sideways. So Others May Live!
Apr 16, 2025•44 min•Ep. 19
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 18 Troy Palmer served 21 years as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer and Combat Search and Rescue Operator. Troy takes us thru the details of covert operations and the intensity of a helicopter door gunner fire fight with the enemy! So Others May Live!
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 18
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 17 Senior Chief Mikey McKnight finishing up 23 years as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Mikey provides one of the most thorough descriptions of a couple heroic rescues, one including the first F-35 ejection water recovery! So Others May Live!
Apr 02, 2025•52 min•Ep. 17
Dustin Littledale spent 21 years as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer. Dustin has overcome injuries that would sideline most humans. He doesn’t only survive, but thrives with a never quit attitude, changing lives every day! So Others May Live!
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 16
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 15 Jason Quinn is a former U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue Swimmer and host of The Real ResQ Podcast. Jason and I have a fun conversation discussing his time served, with a couple epic rescue stories! So Others May Live!
Mar 19, 2025•59 min•Ep. 15
Ep 14. SITREP - Pizza Delivery, Copenhagen, and a Man Overboard CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 14 Darren Hauptman is a retired Master Chief U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer with 30 years of service. Darren talks about his time served, 2 rescues, plus provides an update on the SAR device. Listen to full episode now! “Calm in the Chaos” is available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and YouTube. Find our conversation and subscribe! - LINKS IN BIO. So Others May Live! Rescue Swimmer Shop Use 10% disco...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 14
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 13 Bill Gibson is a former U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer with multiple tours as an instructor, both as military and as a civilian. Bill goes into detail on one of the most insane rescues in our history, where he and his survivor were sucked underneath a massive cargo ship and forced to swim beneath the unforgiving propellers. So Others May Live!
Mar 06, 2025•52 min•Ep. 13
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 12 Mike Longe is a former U.S. Navy Aircrew / Wet Swimmer, with incredible experiences during the hugely televised Apollo space capsule recoveries at sea. Mike recalls in detail the relentless training and execution of these missions in a critical time in U.S. history. So Others May Live!
Mar 06, 2025•40 min•Ep. 12
Episode 10 - Justin Tate Justin Tate is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with 28 years of service. Justin discusses his experiences in the Navy and takes us on a deep dive of an F/A-18 nighttime rescue, which was anything but normal.
Feb 27, 2025•42 min•Ep. 10
CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST Episode 11 Erica Gibson is a U.S. Navy Senior Chief, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, with 24 years of service. Erica talks about her experiences in the fleet, plus a deep dive on a couple recovery missions. So Others May Live!
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 11
Episode 8 - Melissa Dixon Part 2 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.
Feb 20, 2025•41 min•Ep. 8
Episode 9 - Larry Grossman Larry Grossman is a retired U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer, Aviation Rescue Swimmer, and current U.S. DoD Diplomat. Larry shares his experiences of one of the most heroic rescues in our community’s history with the USS Bonefish submarine fire. One that nearly cost him his life.
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 9
Episode 7 - Melissa Dixon Part 1 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.
Feb 12, 2025•49 min•Ep. 7
Episode 6 - Mike Larson 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.
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 6
Episode 5 - Bill 'Red Dogg' Moss 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.
Jan 29, 2025•44 min•Ep. 5
Episode 4 - Jonathan Showerman 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.
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Episode 3 - Rick Shoaf 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!
Jan 21, 2025•38 min•Ep. 3
Episode 2 - Cory Merritt 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!
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 2
Episode 1 - Eric Williamson 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!
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 1
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!...
Dec 27, 2024•10 min
