Carried by Courage
The Legacy of Navy SEAL Elliott Miller
Some stories hit you hard. Elliott Miller’s story is one of those.
I recently went to see the new film Warfare in IMAX. It was intense, gripping, and offered an ultra-realistic depiction of combat. Here is the story of Elliot Miller, his courage, and my takeaways on mental resilience.
Elliot was a former Marine turned Navy SEAL sniper and medic, Miller answered the call to serve not once, but twice. He first served as a Marine, and then again after 9/11 when he felt compelled to re-enlist and take on one of the military’s most grueling paths.
In 2006, while deployed in Ramadi with SEAL Team 5, Miller was hit by an IED during a mission. The blast nearly took everything from him. He suffered traumatic brain injury, burns, a collapsed lung, shattered limbs, and ultimately lost his left leg. He spent four months in a coma. Most people wouldn’t survive. He did.
But what stands out even more than Elliott’s sacrifice is how he’s lived after the blast.
More than 60 surgeries. Years of rehab. Losing the ability to speak the way he once did. And yet, he met and married his physical therapist, April. They built a family. He learned how to say “I love you” again, not with ease, but with intention.
The new film Warfare, directed in part by his former teammate Ray Mendoza, is based on the very mission that nearly cost Miller his life. In fact, part of Mendoza’s goal in making the film was to give Elliott a memory he no longer had. Because of the traumatic brain injury, Miller remembers very little from the battle. But now, through the realism of the film, he can see what his teammates went through to save him, and what he went through to survive.
There’s a line in the Navy SEAL creed that says:
“If knocked down, I will get back up, every time.”
Elliott’s life embodies that promise. Not just in war, but in recovery. Not just in combat, but in love, in family, in fatherhood. He is still fighting, still healing, still showing up for those around him.
Here are a few takeaways from his story that I’ve been thinking about:
You can endure more than you think. Pain tests your limits, but it also reveals them. Elliott Miller survived what most wouldn’t: fire, shrapnel, blood loss, and a coma. What carried him through wasn’t just training; it was heart, loyalty, and an unbreakable will. His story is proof that the human spirit can go further than we often believe, especially when it’s grounded in purpose.
You never fight alone. His teammates carried him through the fire. His wife carried him through recovery. Now his story carries strength to others.
Service has many meanings. It’s how you lift others, how you give back, how you remind people what courage looks like.
Get back up. Every time. Whether it’s a failed project, a rough race, or a life-altering setback, resilience is in the response.
Elliott Miller is a warrior. Not just because of his service and bravery, but because of how he lives today. He reminds us that getting knocked down is inevitable. Staying down isn’t.
So if you’re facing something difficult, scary, uncertain, or painful, remember that you’re never out of the fight.