Seb Lavoie is the most decorated operator most people have never heard of. Over 20 years he went from a French-Canadian kid with no childhood memories to a soldier, a covert air marshal, an ERT tactical operator and team leader, a court-recognized tactical expert, and the Divisional Sergeant Major over 8,200 people — then pride cost him his leg, and faith rebuilt him.
Hostage rescues, the Surrey Six gang murders, an explosive breach gone catastrophically wrong, the cost on his family, rock bottom, and the conversion that changed everything. The Vanguard Wall’s first RCMP guest and first international guest.
▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wyy01D7FYT8
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction
00:09:00 Why He Can’t Remember His Childhood
00:14:30 Growing Up French-Only in 1970s Quebec
00:19:57 Bruce Lee on a Black-and-White TV
00:23:19 From Kung Fu and Muay Thai to BJJ
00:29:36 Becoming the Bully: Juvie and a Path of Destruction
00:33:13 The Roadside Moment That Pointed Him to Policing
00:39:38 Bouncing, Labor Disputes, and the Quebec Biker Wars
00:43:59 Weekend Infantry Basic with the Van Doos
00:50:13 Why He Left the Military for Policing
00:55:25 Inside the RCMP: Canada’s National Force
01:02:45 Depot: One Academy, Paramilitary From Day One
01:17:04 Posted to Tofino Speaking No English
01:29:12 Combatives Training and the Cop He Chose to Be
01:41:50 First Time Things Went Bad on the Street
01:48:38 The Parking-Lot Talk Before a Bar Fight, Outnumbered
02:04:54 Complacency, the 501st Stop, and Soft Shifts
02:22:16 Where He Was on 9/11 and What Changed
02:27:47 Going Covert: The Air Marshal Years
02:38:06 Chasing ERT: Canada’s SWAT
02:51:17 ERT Selection and the Training Pipeline
03:01:44 First ERT Call: A Machete and Two Hostages
03:13:47 Becoming a Breacher: Explosive Entry
03:24:39 Six Executed: The Surrey Investigation
03:49:20 Maritime Tactical Ops: Taking Down a Boat
04:03:32 Stepping Up to Element Leader
04:19:30 Leaving the Team: The Cost on the Family
04:31:11 Divisional Sergeant Major for All of BC
04:39:56 Leadership Dilemmas and Delivering Bad News
05:00:09 The Decision to Retire
05:07:35 Compartment Syndrome to a Below-the-Knee Amputation
05:17:45 Finding Faith Later in Life
05:26:26 The Moment That Changed Everything
06:00:46 The Roots of Orthodox Christianity
06:23:05 Building Raven Strategik
06:35:56 Final Word: The Power of Discernment
🔗 Connect with Seb Lavoie
🌐 Raven Strategik: https://ravenstrategik.ca
📚 Books — Raven Praxis Press: https://ravenstrategik.ca/raven-praxis-press/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slavccmdr
⚔️ Hoplite Nutrition — serious supplements for those that run towards: go.thevanguardwall.com/hoplite — code VANGUARD15
📰 Free Weekly Intel Brief: intel.thevanguardwall.com
🏪 Merch: go.thevanguardwall.com/merch ·
📸 IG: @thevanguardwallpodcast ·
🎥 YouTube: @TheVanguardWall
