MrBallen: Why I Became a Navy SEAL | John Allen

After enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 2010, John Allen completed the grueling training required to become a Navy SEAL and joined SEAL Team 2 in 2012. He deployed twice, serving in both Afghanistan and Peru. During a 2014 deployment to Afghanistan, Allen was caught in an intense firefight when a grenade bounced off his shoulder and exploded just feet away, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. He was medically retired from the SEAL Teams in 2017. Long before his military career ended, however, the foundation for his next chapter was already being laid. An avid reader, Allen was not permitted to have books during boot camp. Determined to keep him connected to the stories he loved, his mother tore pages from Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels and mailed them to him one chapter at a time. Those pages offered a brief escape from the rigors of training and helped plant the seeds for his next career. Since retiring from the military, Allen - better known to millions as MrBallen - has become a globally successful storyteller. Through his wildly popular content and as a NYT Bestselling Author of graphic novels, he has built one of the largest true-crime audiences in the world. Additionally, he launched the MrBallen Foundation to give back, channeling a portion of what he earns by telling these stories into support for the people and families who live them. Interview recorded on April 2, 2026 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Support the American Veterans Center's mission to preserve the legacy and history of our heroes by making a tax-deductible donation today: https://americanveteranscenter.org/do... Learn more about the American Veterans Center: http://www.americanveteranscenter.org/ Like us on Facebook:   / americanveteranscenter   Follow us on Twitter:   / avcupdate   Follow us on Instagram:   / americanveteranscenter   Subscribe to the Veterans Chronicles podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/americanvetera... ---------------------------------------------------------------- Video Credits: Interviewer / Producer / Editor - Bramley Sullivan Director of Photography - courtesy of BallenStudios