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

Some warriors fight their battles in the ocean. Others fight them long after the uniform comes off.

In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Kevin McNease shares 20 years of service as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer—including a harrowing rescue in the South China Sea, pulling a Marine from the water who was still gripping his weapon, and one of the most terrifying mechanical failures imaginable: losing a helicopter door mid-flight—only to watch it shred through the rotor system.

And then there's the battle he's fighting now.

Kevin has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And he's facing it the same way he faced every mission—with courage, clarity, and calm in the chaos.
In this episode:
20 years of service as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer
Rescue in the South China Sea
Pulling a Marine from the water—still armed, still holding his weapon
A helicopter door lost in flight—and what happened when it hit the rotors
Mechanical failure at altitude with no margin for error
Receiving a Parkinson’s diagnosis after two decades of service
What resilience really looks like when the mission becomes survival itself
The mental and emotional weight carried by those who serve

Kevin McNease gave 20 years to this nation. His story—every chapter of it—deserves to be heard.

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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 58 

So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸

Rescue Swimmer Merchandise 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
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net

For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: 
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
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Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers

#RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #Parkinsons #ParkinsonsWarrior #ParkinsonsAwareness #SouthChinaSea #NavyRescue #MarineCorps #HelicopterFailure #MechanicalFailure #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #VeteranHealth #SoOthersMayLive #SearchAndRescue #SAR #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #MilitaryResilience #LeadershipUnderFire #MentalToughness #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #HonorTheFallen

Some missions go wrong before they even begin. Others turn into something no one could have planned for.

In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Richard Swope shares his career as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer—including two of the most intense moments a rescue swimmer can face: surviving a helicopter crash at night in the open ocean during an active rescue, and gaining sonobuoy contact on a Russian submarine trailing a U.S. aircraft carrier—moments before a collision with the carrier itself.

These aren't training scenarios. These are the real missions that define what it means to operate at the edge of human capability—in the dark, in the water, with no margin for error.
In this episode:
Helicopter crash at night during an active ocean rescue
Surviving open-ocean impact and the chaos that followed
Gaining sonobuoy contact on a Russian submarine
Near-collision with a U.S. aircraft carrier
Decision-making when everything goes wrong at once
Mental toughness forged in real-world high-stakes missions
What it means to serve as a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer

Richard Swope's story is a masterclass in staying calm when the situation is anything but. This is exactly what the Calm in the Chaos podcast was built for.

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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 57 

So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸

Rescue Swimmer Merchandise 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
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net

For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: 
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson 
Instagram: 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 #HelicopterCrash #NavyHelicopter #RussianSubmarineContact #ColdWarNavy #AircraftCarrier #NavyMilitary #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #SoOthersMayLive #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #RescueMission #SearchAndRescue #SAR #NavalAviation #OpenOceanRescue #SurvivalStory #MilitaryStories #SpecialOperations #ResiliencePodcast #LeadershipPodcast #MentalToughness #MilitaryLeadership #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast

When NASA's Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego, four astronauts came home from the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. And right there—feet from the capsule, voice on the radio, eyes on every moving piece—was a U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer.

In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Sean “Sondy” Sondergaard takes us inside one of the most historic recovery missions in modern naval aviation history—the Artemis II astronaut recovery. From the safety boat positioned right next to the Orion capsule, Sean was coordinating communications between the divers, the helicopters, the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha, and NASA's Landing and Recovery team as Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen were brought home from lunar orbit.

But Artemis II is just one chapter.

Sean shares what it takes to earn the wings of a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer, the missions that shaped him, and what it felt like to be part of a team trusted by NASA to bring astronauts safely back to Earth.

In this episode:
Inside the Artemis II splashdown and recovery operation
What it's like to be in the safety boat next to the Orion capsule
Coordinating communications between divers, helicopters, NASA, and the recovery ship
The training that prepares Navy Rescue Swimmers for missions of this magnitude
Assigned to HSC-23, working with the Navy dive medical team, and the USS John P. Murtha
Bringing astronauts home from the Moon for the first time in over 50 years
The legacy of Navy recovery operations—from Mercury and Apollo to Artemis
What it means to wear the wings and live "So Others May Live"

Sean Sondergaard's story is a reminder that behind every historic mission is a team of quiet professionals doing the hard, dangerous, precise work the world rarely sees.

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CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 59

So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸

Rescue Swimmer Merchandise 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 
📩 Booking & Media Inquiries: podcast@briandickinson.net
For more content, subscribe and follow @TheCalmintheChaosPodcast: 
Twitter: https://x.com/briancdickinson/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briandickinson/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briancdickinson 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briancdickinson

Calm in the Chaos: The Rescue Swimmer Podcast Untold Stories from U.S. Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmers

#ArtemisII #Artemis2 #ArtemisIIRecovery #NASA #OrionCapsule #Splashdown #AstronautRecovery #MoonMission #ReidWiseman #VictorGlover #ChristinaKoch #JeremyHansen #USSJohnPMurtha #HSC23 #RescueSwimmer #NavyRescueSwimmer #AviationRescueSwimmer #CalmInTheChaos #NavyRecovery #NavalAviation #USNavy #NavyVeteran #MilitaryVeteran #SoOthersMayLive #SearchAndRescue #SAR #MilitaryPodcast #VeteranStories #ResiliencePodcast #LeadershipUnderFire #MentalToughness #ServiceAndSacrifice #BrianDickinson #VeteranPodcast #SpaceRecovery #NASARecovery #PacificOcean #SanDiego

For the first time, Apollo-era and Artemis-era recovery are compared side by side by the people who actually did the job.
Mike Longe, U.S. Navy helicopter aircrewman from the Apollo recovery missions, and Steve Williams, Senior Chief rescue swimmer supporting Artemis operations, break down what really happens when a capsule hits the water.
Same mission. Different era.
We walk through the full evolution—splashdown, swimmer deployment, stabilization, and hoist—and compare what’s changed from Apollo 13 recovery operations to modern Artemis procedures.
No theory. No commentary. Just operators.
Topics covered:
Apollo 13 recovery operations (Navy helicopter aircrew)
Artemis recovery procedures and modern systems
Rescue swimmer role vs legacy aircrew operations
Splashdown timeline and critical first minutes
Hoist operations in open ocean conditions
What’s actually harder now vs then
If you’re interested in NASA recovery operations, helicopter rescue, or real-world decision-making under pressure, this is the breakdown.
#Apollo13 #Artemis #NASA #RescueSwimmer #HelicopterRescue #SearchAndRescue #NavalAviation #SpaceRecovery #MilitaryOperations #Leadership

Combat Search and Rescue Veteran Bryan Trembath | 10 Gulf Deployments, 300+ Missions, Pentagon 9/11 First Response

Some careers are built in training. Others are forged in real-world missions.
In this episode of Calm in the Chaos, Bryan Trembath shares 21 years as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer, including 10 deployments to the Gulf and over 300 direct action missions in Combat Search and Rescue.
His first real mission started on September 11, 2001—responding by helicopter to the Pentagon in the immediate aftermath of the attack. That moment set the tone for a career defined by operational intensity, responsibility, and sustained performance under pressure.
We talk about what it takes to operate at that level over time—mission after mission, deployment after deployment.

In this episode:
• 21 years as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer
• Combat Search and Rescue operations
• 10 deployments to the Gulf
• 300+ direct action missions
• Responding to the Pentagon on 9/11
• Sustaining performance over a long career
• Decision-making under pressure
• Leadership in high-risk environments
No shortcuts. Just experience earned the hard way.
👉 Subscribe, share, and leave a review. It helps more veterans, first responders, and families find these stories.

CALM IN THE CHAOS PODCAST — Episode 55

So Others May Live. 🫡🇺🇸

Rescue Swimmer Merchandise
https://shop.calminthechaospodcast.com
Military & First Responders: Use code SARRESCUE10 for 10% off
100% of proceeds support the podcast

 #CSAR  #911Pentagon #DirectAction #SpecialOperations #SoOthersMayLive