Special Forces Medic Performed Self-Surgery in Afghan Firebase Under Fire
"We ended up opening my arm up right through here in the firebase in Afghanistan and doing a partial fasciotomy to restore the circulation. It was actually me and our junior medic, our weapons guy, and an engineer. We did a block on the elbow, a block on the shoulder. We opened it up."
About this episode
On this episode of The Mike Drop Podcast, host Mike Ritland sits down with Jay Collins, the Lieutenant Governor of Florida and former 23-year Army Special Forces veteran now running for Governor. Collins is a two-time Purple Heart recipient who lost his leg in combat and later overcame bureaucratic opposition to remain on active duty as an amputee Green Beret. The conversation opens with Collins discussing his reading habits and leadership philosophy drawn from Lincoln, then shifts into his military background. Raised by his grandparents on a failing Montana farm after being born to a 16-year-old mother, Collins joined the Army as an intelligence specialist in 1996 before earning his way into 7th Special Forces Group. The core of the interview focuses on his 2006 Afghanistan deployment to Firebase Anaconda, where he was shot in the arm during a coordinated enemy assault. Collins reveals that foreign fighters—Chechens, Syrians, and Iranian-backed forces—were using night vision superior to U.S. equipment and employing advanced small-unit tactics. After performing field surgery on himself when weather prevented medevac, he returned to combat within a month. Years later, undiagnosed blast injuries from a mortar strike led to the amputation of his leg in 2010. Collins recounts the bureaucratic nightmare at Walter Reed, where he was forced to complete sexual harassment training on crutches before receiving care because his classified service didn't appear in Army records. General Ray Odierno personally intervened, enabling Collins to re-qualify in every Special Forces skill and serve five more years, including standing up the Office of Strategic Warfare's medical training program. The episode closes with Collins reflecting on his transition to Florida politics and his commitment to defending constitutional freedoms.
Key takeaways
- Collins revealed enemy fighters in Afghanistan had PVS-14 night vision and better optics than U.S. forces, supplied by Chechens, Syrians, and Iranian backers.
- After being shot in the arm at Firebase Anaconda, Collins and a junior medic performed a fasciotomy on his own arm in the field when weather closed the LZ.
- Undiagnosed blast injuries from a mortar strike led to seven years of deteriorating health before doctors amputated his leg in 2010.
- At Walter Reed, Collins was forced to complete years of missed administrative training on crutches because his tier-one service wasn't in regular Army records.
- General Ray Odierno personally called the chain of command after encountering Collins at Walter Reed, overriding policy to let him remain on active duty.
- Collins requalified in every Special Forces skill as an amputee and served five more years, developing the NS Med course that saved lives within 90 days.
- Born to a 16-year-old mother and raised by grandparents who lost their Montana farm, Collins has had no contact with his birth mother and credits his adoptive family for his success.