Ep. 26 • Dan Corbett (AKA Dirty) • DEVGRU Operator: Black Ops, Bar Fights, & 1.5 years in Balkan Prison

Dan Corbett (AKA Dirty) has lived through some of the wildest life chapters anyone could think of and come out the other side stronger - his story is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. Navy SEAL, DevGroup Operator, mercenary, author, and somehow the only American to become a household name in Serbia without ever wanting to. From growing up in Northern California to finding his place in platoon life, Dan gives us the inside scoop on training for Green Team, deployments to combat zones, plus being a part of legendary tactical adventures like the Captain Phillips rescue.

But the real chaos came after the Teams. While contracting overseas, Dan got rolled up in Serbia on trumped-up charges of plotting to a$$assinate their pre$ident and spent 18 months in a Serbian prison. What followed was a roller coaster of shifting legal pressure, bizarre cellmates, and headlines that turned him into Serbia’s favorite anti-hero. Imagine you survive multiple high profile missions, combat deployments, and bar fights… then end up using all those skills to navigate sensitive Balkan prison politics for 18 months.

With his trademark humor and grit, Dan breaks down the comedy and brutality of jailhouse life, how the mindset training he learned in the SEAL Teams kept him sane & sharp, and the moment he finally faced a judge to learn his fate after nearly a year in limbo. Along the way we cover bar fights, realities of the contracting world, and how to survive and keep your edge when life goes completely sideways.

If you’re looking for Navy SEAL stories, prevailing against impossible odds, and the kind of dark-humor banter you only get when someone’s lived through hell and come out laughing, this episode is Liberty Risk at its rawest.

 

Here are a few highlights from the many crazy stories we dive into in this episode.

• The real story behind the naked hot tub head kick.

• Getting your face blasted it all over Serbian news, but at least they used a good pic.

• It’s ok to be ok, not every veteran is “broken”

• “It’s not that we’re so good, it’s just that everyone else sucks” 😂

• Being a Navy SEAL opens doors, but also paints you into a picture you may not fit in.

• Checking into Team 5 & learning about the “minimum weight” of 200 lbs to be in Kevin’s platoon. 💪🏼

• Speaking Tagalog & running sources at rooster fights in Philippines.

• The intricacies of navigating Green Team politics.

• The different squadrons at Dev and their unique character.

• The benefits of going to a gay bar. 🏳️‍🌈

• Discussing the “real story” of the Captain Phillips op.

• Story about Will Chesney’s dog saving Dan’s life.

• Dan realizing he was a good Operator, but not a good Instructor, and how he fixed that.

• The inside scoop on how he got arrested in Serbia and how it went down.

• Dirty realizing he was actually kind of a hero within the counter culture groups in prison.

• The many interesting criminal and character you meet in Serbian jail.

• Roller coaster court drama and their officials being pressured by their government.

• Finding common ground and connection with the foreign judge.

• Beating the Serbian judicial system, getting helped by the Hells Angels, and going home just to find that the Team had revoked his Trident.

• Being home and back contracting within a month.

• Finding out Serbia wants him to go BACK to potentially stand trial AGAIN.

• How he came to terms with writing a book, and the whole process from start to finish.

• Current movie projects and what he’s working on now.

• The value of a great parter to help you build, and also keep you on your toes.

 

 👉 Thank you for being a part of the Liberty Risk community! If you enjoyed the show please leave us a review on whatever audio platform you're listening on, and like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube to keep these stories alive.

 

Find out more about Dan and his adventures at the following links:

✖️ Personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/american_mercenary 

✖️ Website - https://www.danieldavidcorbettiii.com 

 

Liberty Risk Hosts: 

✖️ Ryan Williams - https://www.instagram.com/invictus5326

✖️ Kevin Kent - https://www.instagram.com/therealkevinkent

✖️ Nick Betts - https://www.instagram.com/n_betts

 

Liberty Risk Podcast Sponsored by:

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