#171: World's Best Problem Solvers - Green Beret and PAM Jets CEO Ben Harrow

Green Berets are America’s best problem solvers. There’s no challenge too great and no solution that cannot be found. This mentality exists in service and beyond. 

Ben Harrow solved complex challenges as a West Point Lacrosse star, leading soldiers in Iraq, and as he joined Special Forces to be a Green Beret in the Army. Today he’s the President of PAM Jets solving aviation’s largest logistical problems. But the biggest challenge Ben ever faced was when he stepped on a land mine. 

Ben is a double amputee who nearly lost his life in Afghanistan. From the sidelines of the 2024 Stars and Stripes Classic, the first ever lacrosse battle between Green Berets and Navy SEALs, Ben joined Fran Racioppi to share his story. After months of surgery and being told he would never walk again, he took his recovery into his own hands. 

Ben explains the meticulous research he conducted, the doctors he challenged and the method he developed to ensure he would walk and move on with life. He explains his resiliency mindset, how he applied it to becoming a Green Beret, solving his recovery challenge and how it drives him in entrepreneurship today.

Most importantly, Ben shows us that there’s nothing special about being Special Forces, you just have to want it more than anyone else. 

Watch, listen or read our conversation from Gillette Stadium and don’t forget to check out the rest of our series from the inaugural Stars and Stripes Classic as we gear up for the round two on September 1, 2025.

Highlights

• 00:00 Introduction
• 1:42 Welcome to Gillette Stadium
• 2:42 We Met In Iraq
• 7:40 Joining Special Forces
• 9:25 What Separates a Green Beret
• 12:27 Stepping on a Landmine
• 17:23 The Rehabilitation Process
• 21:05 Learning how to walk again
• 27:55 The Most Challenging Part
• 29:34 SF Guys Building a Business
• 38:30 What’s Next

Quotes

• “As an athlete and competitive person, I’ve always wanted to be on the best teams.”
• “That special mindshift puts that special in front of forces.”
• “Special Operations in combat, if there was a board game, we’re like chess masters and everyone else is checkers masters.”
• “My first thought when I stepped on that bomb was I got hit by a car.”
• “Part of the reason I think I was able to get out and start the process of figuring out how to walk again was I took myself off the pain meds so quick.” 
• “I got injured as a 215 lb tactical athlete to waking up in the hospital bed weighing only like 130.”
• “The most challengin