Calm in the Chaos - U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Podcast

About Calm in the Chaos - U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Podcast

Calm in the Chaos shares real rescue stories from the U.S. Navy’s Aviation Rescue Swimmers. Hosted by Brian Dickinson—bestselling author, former Navy Rescue Swimmer, and Everest solo summiteer. Ranked in the top 10% of podcasts worldwide, the show digs into the grit, mindset, and faith it takes to run toward the chaos so others may live. Support the mission at briandickinson.net. Not affiliated with the U.S. Navy or DoD.

Publisher

Brian Dickinson

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Dec 2024

Latest episode

1 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

65 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Sept 2026

   26 Years, 10 Deployments & Full Circle at Rescue Swimmer School | Jeff Plowman | Ep. 65

   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: 26 years of service and 10 deployments as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Growing up a Navy dental tech's son who swore he'd never join — then did Life as a SAR instructor at Pensacola, learning from legends like Petty Officer Will Young A DUI that nearly ended his career — and the leaders who stood up for him Deploying overseas with HSC squadrons out of Naples, Italy Coming back to Rescue Swimmer School as Leading Chief Petty Officer — full circle How training has evolved from 1993 to 2026, and why the standard hasn't dropped His message to the next generation of rescue swimmer candidates: just don't quit 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 (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 (http://www.briandickinson.net/) 📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net (mailto:podcast@briandickinson.net) For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/ (https://x.com/briancdickinson/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcast (https://www.facebook.com/CalmintheChaosPodcast) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalminthechaospodcast/ (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

2. 

   18 Jul 2026

   From Rescuing a SEAL to Flying Dust-Off Missions in Iraq | Shane Hallesy | Ep. 63

   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: Hoisting down at night to rescue a Navy SEAL who missed the deck during a fast-rope insertion Transitioning from Navy rescue swimmer to Army Blackhawk pilot Flying dust-off medevac missions over western Iraq with the Marines Flying into a sandstorm during his first days in-country A mass casualty response in Fallujah and learning to vary his approach to avoid getting shot at Struggling to assimilate after deployment—and finding a second calling flying law enforcement missions for CBP and the Department of Transportation From the flight deck to the desert to the border, Shane Hallesy never stopped being the guy who goes in after people. 👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories. CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 63 So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸 Rescue Swimmer Merchandise https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com (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 (http://www.briandickinson.net/) 📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net (mailto:podcast@briandickinson.net) For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/ (https://x.com/briancdickinson/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson (https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson (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

3. 

   18 Jul 2026

   A Secret Six-Day Mission Into Iraq & "The Only One Who Ever Rescued a Rescue Swimmer" | Aviation Rescue Swimmer Scott Haskell | Ep. 62

   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: The 100-mile scramble to recover a downed EA-6B crew—and the "rescued a rescue swimmer" story that followed A secret six-day mission into Iraq to search for a downed F-18 pilot Finding him in a salt lake near Karbala—and the honor guard that met the aircraft A flight deck wire-snap during an F-18 ejection that injured deck crew and earned his helicopter a painted purple heart Becoming a drill instructor and training non-swimmers at the "combat pool" Earning his first official live rescue at HS-14 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 (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 (http://www.briandickinson.net/) 📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net (mailto:podcast@briandickinson.net) For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/ (https://x.com/briancdickinson/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson (https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson (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

Who has been a guest on Calm in the Chaos - U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Bill Lukenbill
• Brandon Tyler Webb
• Casey Clark
• Frank Leets

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

27

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact Calm in the Chaos - U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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