192 - The Last Plane Out of Afghanistan Artwork

The Seacoast Podcast: Things You Won't Hear On Sunday

The Seacoast Podcast: Things You Won't Hear On Sunday captures meaningful – and often challenging -- conversations that happen off the stage amongst the people of Seacoast. Hang with us and guests we love to learn from, including authors, artists, pastors, and many others who share their stories of struggle and oftentimes, how God's grace brought about peace and redemption. We hope listening in to our discussions revolving around church, theology, and culture will feel like slowing down and hanging with friends. You'll be encouraged, laugh, find solidarity with someone else's story, or see things from a new point of view. What if listening to other perspectives was the first step in loving people with a different point of view? We're giving it a shot.

All Episodes

The Seacoast Podcast: Things You Won't Hear On Sunday

192 - The Last Plane Out of Afghanistan

March 24, 2026 • Seacoast Church

0:00 | 1:27:35

[Seacoast Podcast is now on Instagram]

On August 30, 2021, Lt Col Alex Pelbath commanded the final U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft that departed Kabul, Afghanistan. The exit closed out 20 years of conflict and played a key role in the historic evacuation. Alex reflects on the infamous day that Americans watched on TV, as many Afghans lost their lives while attempting to escape with the plane.

Host Joey Svendsen and former Navy Commander and CIA Operations Officer, Mark Merritt, join Alex for a candid conversation on military ethics and to discuss what they believe is a healthy way for society to view the brave men and women in uniform. Alex also shares the story behind his new journey of running for Congress.

At the top of the episode, Amy, Joey, Lynne, and Tomelex talk about meat in heaven, pan-handling, and why people with British accents sound smart.

On this Episode

Alex Pelbath | Instagram | Website

Mark Merritt | Linkedin | Contact

Hosts: Tomelix Copeland, Lynne Stroy, Joey Svendsen, Amy Worley

Seacoast Podcast is now on Instagram

Be a Patron of the podcast

We have a YouTube Channel for videos of all episodes since Jan. 2024.

We'd love to hear from you. E-mail Joey HERE.

Producer/Editor/host: Joey Svendsen
Sound Engineer/Editor: Katelyn Vandiver