Flying High with Ryan "Birdman" Parrott

Clark and Ryan sit down with the "Birdman" a chat about the importance of pushing limits. Ryan “Birdman” Parrott, Author, Public Speaker, and Founder of two non-­profits benefiting Veterans and First Responders. Ryan enlisted in the Navy after watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11, and Parrott served eight years as a U.S. Navy SEAL attached to Team SEVEN, completing three combat tours to Iraq before being assigned to Advanced Training Command as an Instructor.

In 2005, while serving in Iraq, Ryan was riding atop a Humvee manning the gun turret in enemy territory, when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), causing a flash fire and throwing him from the Humvee. Ryan regained composure with his face and arms burned, and witnessed his fellow team members suffer devastating burn and blast injuries. While Ryan’s burns were only first and second degree, his teammates suffered lifelong injuries.