From Failing Middle School to Special Forces Commander | LTC Chane Jackson

Send us Fan MailChane Jackson was told he'd never make it past eighth grade. A teacher gave him an "H" on a paper because an F wasn't low enough. He never made honor roll once.Fast forward: West Point graduate. 75th Ranger Regiment. Green Beret commander. Five combat deployments. Over 100 direct action missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Three Bronze Stars. Fluent in Arabic. And he never lost a soldier under his command—never fell back in a firefight. Not once.After retiring, Chane taught himself to code and became Director of Data Science for US Special Operations Command, managing AI systems for 90,000 personnel across 11 commands. Now he's building two businesses—D1 Training in Austin and Game Day Men's Health in Tampa—focused on optimizing human performance.This is a four-hour conversation about struggle, resilience, combat leadership, loss, and what it means to keep pushing forward when everyone says you can't.What we talk about:The childhood that shaped him—single mom, tough neighborhood, academic struggles that almost ended everythingHow a brutal West Point professor taught him the mental toughness that would save his life in combatRanger Regiment and learning what it takes to lead elite soldiersGetting his Green Beret and deploying to Afghanistan with ODA 3325Months of sustained combat in Kajaki—getting shot at on infill, firefights that never seemed to endThe day Master Sergeant Gregory Trent was killed (we covered Greg's story in a seven-part series with ODA 3424)What it's like holding someone's skull together while praying they make it homeLeading through loss while staying mission-focusedTeaching at West Point and mentoring the next generationTransition to tech—teaching himself data science and building AI systems for SOCOMWhy he left the military and started two franchisesD1 Training: athletic performance for youth and adults using cutting-edge technologyGame Day Men's Health: veteran-owned TRT and men's wellness clinicFull conversation on The Vanguard Wall podcast.⚔️Follow Chane Jackson📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/chaneszD1 Training Center Austin, Texas (owned by Chane)📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/d1jollyvilletx📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/d1jollyvilletxGame Day Mens Health Tampa, FL (owned by Chane)📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/gamedaytempleterrace📘 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gamedaytempleterrace🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/ @TheVanguardWall  Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWallThe Vanguard Wall Merch: ⬇️https://www.thevanguardwall.comSocial Media: ⬇️The Vanguard Wall Podcast Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/The Vanguard Wall Podcast Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297Want to sponsor the show?Email: ⬇️[email protected]#SpecialForces #GreenBeret #RangerRegiment #Military #Veterans #Leadership #CombatStories #entrepreneurship🎯 The Vanguard Wall is powered by Hoplite Nutrition — built for those who run toward. No fillers, no fluff, just fuel built for the mission. Shop hoplitenutrition.com — code VANGUARD15 for 15% off + Subscribe & Save.📩 The Weekly SSE (free intel brief): https://intel.thevanguardwall.com🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast🎥 YouTube (watch the full episode): https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com⚔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297📧 Connect/Sponsor: [email protected] about buying a home or refinancing? Nuwave Lending built a dedicated page specifically for Vanguard Wall listeners so you can connect directly with the team assigned to our audience.Get started here: https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwallNMLS #1722624 Patreon advertismentSupport the show                                                             🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                      🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)  🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                           ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall  📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297  📧 Sponsor Inquiries: [email protected]                                                                                                     💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off   Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com