Forged with Pasha & Mick

Survivor’s Pride with Michael Schlitz

Episode Notes

What does it take to carry the memory of your brothers forward while learning how to live again? Army veteran Michael Schlitz joins his friend Pasha Palanker for a deeply personal conversation about service, loss, and the people who stayed beside him through recovery.

Michael traces his path from a restless teenager to Ranger School, the instructor role that sharpened his standards, and the deployment that changed his life. He recounts the 2007 attack in Iraq that killed three men in his vehicle and left him with severe burns and the loss of both hands. He also shares how honoring those men helped him find the words survivor’s pride.

The conversation goes beyond the injury: facing his reflection, accepting help from family and fellow veterans, feeding himself again, and learning to adapt for the rest of his life. Michael and Pasha speak candidly about isolation, friendship, and why someone else’s wounds never make your own pain less real. This is a conversation about the hard work of recovery and the strength of showing up for one another.

What This Episode Will Forge In You

• Honor the people behind the loss. Michael explains how survivor’s pride helps him remember the men he served alongside.
• Stay close when someone is struggling. His mother, brother, and fellow veterans formed the support network he credits with saving his life.
• Recognize the weight of a first win. Feeding himself again became a meaningful step toward independence.
• Respect recovery as ongoing work. New tools, daily tasks, and changing technology continue to demand adaptation.
• Make room for another person’s pain. Michael explains why comparing injuries can miss what someone is actually living through.
• Keep friendship in the fight against isolation. Pasha and Michael reflect on the value of connection and accepting support.

Quotes That Hit Like A Hammer

“Like I'm proud I got to serve with them.” -Michael Schlitz

“I was never really left alone.” -Michael Schlitz

“You only know what you know.” -Michael Schlitz

“I'll be learning something new or how to adapt something the rest of my life.” -Michael Schlitz

“I'm always gonna be adapting.”- Michael Schlitz

Chapters

00:00  Opening and Forged intro

00:19  Pasha welcomes his friend Michael Schlitz

01:52  A childhood of moving and the decision to enlist

05:09  Setting his sights on Ranger School

08:21  Illness and the road back to training

12:40  September 11 and the responsibility of instructing

16:31  Choosing deployment and learning from leaders

21:54  The attack in Iraq that changed his life

27:11  Remembering the men who did not come home

28:09  From survivor’s guilt to survivor’s pride

31:32  Hospital memories and waking after four months

34:18  Facing his reflection

36:10  The support network that stayed beside him

38:53  Using his voice to advocate for others

42:13  Why comparing injuries misses the point

45:49  Feeding himself again and reclaiming independence

46:28  Adapting for a lifetime

50:14  Friendship and showing up for each other

52:22  One win and a support network

54:35  Forged outro

Questions This Episode Will Answer

• Why did Michael choose the Army, and what pushed him toward Ranger School?
• How did illness interrupt his training, and what did returning require of him?
• What did he learn about responsibility as a Ranger instructor?
• How did speaking to Gold Star families help him describe survivor’s pride?
• What made facing his reflection such a difficult part of recovery?
• Who stayed beside him during his hospitalization, and why did that support matter?
• Why was feeding himself again such a significant milestone?
• What does lifelong recovery look like in Michael’s everyday life?
• Why does he resist comparing one veteran’s injuries with another’s?

Connect with Michael Schlitz
LinkedIn | Official bio at Robert Irvine Foundation

Connect with Pasha Palanker
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn