Podcasts by The Spear
The Spear is a podcast from the Modern War Institute at West Point. It aims to explore the combat experience, with each episode featuring a guest who tells a detailed and personal story, describing the events and exploring topics like decision-making under stress and what it feels like to be in combat.
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MQ-9 Reaper in Eastern Afghanistan from 2023-12-07T13:36:56
This episode of The Spear features a story from US Air Force Major Joe...
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In the Skies above Anbar from 2023-11-23T17:26:18
In 2007, United States Marine Captain Kyleanne Hunter was flying escort missions above Marines operating in western Iraq. When the Marines on the ground discovered a massive weapons cache—...
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Paktika's Ambush Alley from 2023-11-08T13:22:04
In 2003, Dave Rittgers was in command of a Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan. Partway through its tour, the team moved to a firebase in Orgun-E to undertake a new mission—helping...
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Apaches Adapting Under Fire from 2023-10-25T12:47:01
During a deployment in Afghanistan, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dylan Ferguson was flying an Apache, providing close air support to a special operations ground force below. When his aircraft's 30-mi...
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SEALs in Iraq from 2023-10-11T12:01:59
In 2010, Rick Witt was a new SEAL team commander preparing his unit to deploy to Iraq when one of his subordinate platoons encountered leadership and cohesion problems. Faced with the hard choic...
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Across the Fence from 2023-09-27T09:07:04
Arriving in Vietnam in April 1968, John “Tilt” Meyer volunteered for a highly classified unit without knowing so much as its name. Tilt, it turned out, was volunteering to join Milit...
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An Information War with Guns from 2023-09-13T09:42:30
Infantry battalions operating tactically rarely have the possibility to directly impact alliance constructs, foreign policy objectives, and national security strategy. But Dan Leard’s 1-38...
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The Leader and the Damage Done from 2023-08-30T15:46:04
"Trust your NCOs" is common advice given to every new lieutenant. This adage, the overwhelming majority of the time, is valid. But when it’s not, it’s not. When Chris Liggett was a l...
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Leading with Love from 2023-08-16T10:45:11
In 1995, Robert Craven was a teenage high school dropout with a baby on the way. Looking for options to improve his life, he turned to the Army and embraced its “be all you can be” m...
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History of the World War (Part II) from 2023-08-02T09:35:30
Before legendary entertainer Mel Brooks was known as Mel Brooks, he was Corporal Melvin Kaminsky, a combat engineer fighting in Europe during World War II. From facing air raids to artillery rou...
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Smiling When It Sucks from 2023-07-19T09:58:38
In 2003, Dan Stuewe was a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division preparing to cross into Iraq. With only a few weeks with his platoon, Stuewe deployed forward, convinced he’d never ...
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Calling in Close Air Support from 2023-07-06T14:14:39
In this episode of The Spear, retired Marine officer David Berke joins to share a story from 2006, when he was a forward air controller attached to an Army unit in Ramadi, Iraq. During ...
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When the Wall Fell from 2023-06-21T09:35:14
As a new military police platoon leader, Robin Fontes unexpectedly found herself present at a turning point of strategic significance. Assigned to the Berlin Brigade, Fontes and her soldiers wer...
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Battle of Barawala Kalay Valley from 2023-06-07T09:42:19
In 2010 Kevin Mott's unit arrived in Afghanistan's Kunar province for a deployment that would see months of hard fighting. At one point, he was even wounded so badly—shot in the head, four...
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Last Man Out from 2023-05-24T08:02:23
On August 30, 2021, Lieutenant General Chris Donahue stepped onto the ramp of the last American C-17 in Afghanistan and into the pages of history. At the time, he was the commander of the 8...
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War on the Home Front from 2023-05-10T09:00:48
In 2002, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division deployed to Kuwait from its home at Fort Stewart, Georgia ahead of the invasion of Iraq. When that invasion began, the unit would gain honors and fame...
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A Chaplain in Ukraine's Trenches from 2023-04-26T03:47:56
In 2014, when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Listen
Bringing the Patriot to Iraq from 2023-04-12T08:50:21
In 2019, Master Sgt. Zach Rosser was a platoon sergeant in a Patriot missile battery. His unit was preparing for a deployment—the soldiers expected to be going to Bahrain. But in December,...
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Die Going Forward from 2023-03-29T09:43:08
In the previous episode, we heard Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee describe his early military career, which took him from the Oklahoma National Guard to the Marine Corps’s force reconnaissan...
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A Medal of Honor Recipient's Origin Story from 2023-03-15T09:36:39
In December 2021, at a White House ceremony, Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 2013 battle with insurgents in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. But...
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The Strategic Lieutenant from 2023-03-01T12:20:56
Many episodes of The Spear have featured stories of action at the tactical level. This episode departs from that pattern, as Capt. Listen
That Others May Live from 2023-02-15T10:44
This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Josh Webster. A US Army officer, he previously served as a US Air Force pararescueman—a member of an elite part of the ...
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The End of the War from 2023-02-01T11:35
In July 2021, Colonel Matt Hardman deployed on short notice to support 10th Mountain Division operations in Afghanistan. As the country started to fall to Taliban forces, he served as chief of s...
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Company Command in Babil from 2023-01-18T10:20
In 2004, Matt Hardman was an infantry company commander in the 82nd Airborne Division. Just returned from Afghanistan, his paratroopers were deployed to Iraq’s Babil province on just a mon...
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Saving the Interpreter from 2023-01-04T04:20
In 2006, Jeremy Fox was a platoon leader deployed in Iraq, his platoon tasked for part of that deployment with providing security for an oil pipeline and associated infrastructure. Integrated wi...
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Advising in El Salvador from 2022-12-21T04:48
In the early 1990s, Greg Banner was sent to El Salvador to assist ongoing counterinsurgency training and operations. As a Special Forces officer, Greg had previous experience in Latin America an...
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Enemy Inside the FOB from 2022-12-07T10:59
In 2010, Scott Haran was a company commander in Afghanistan. His company was responsible for establishing police checkpoints in and around the city of Kandahar. Partnered with the Afghan Na...
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A Bad Day in the Arizona Territory from 2022-11-23T04:59
In 1962, while on a year-long break from college, Barry Broman was first shot at in South Vietnam while working as a photographer for the Associated Press. Seven years later, he arrived in I Cor...
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On the Banks of the Kunar River from 2022-11-09T14:08
In this episode Maj. John A. Meyer shares a story from his first deployment, in 2007, to Afghanistan. On July 27, his platoon and a group of Afghan National Army soldiers were moving along ...
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Walking the Beat in Baghdad from 2022-10-26T15:40
In the second episode in a two-part series, Misty Cantwell recounts the ongoing combat operations she conducted in Sa...
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Black Hawk Into The Fight from 2022-10-13T14:14
In this episode, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joe Roland joins to share a story from 2004. A UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, his aircraft and another were supporting an Army Special Forces team in search of ...
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MPs in Baghdad from 2022-09-28T07:14
In 2003, just months after graduating from West Point, Misty Cantwell was a military police platoon leader waiting to cross the border into Iraq. Arriving after the main invasion, Cantwell&rsquo...
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Reflections on Being First In from 2022-09-14T13:50
We are now twenty-one years past the events of 9/11. America's war in Afghanistan has come to an end yet the repercussions of that day and that war continue to impact foreign policy, strategic p...
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Patrolling the Seam from 2022-08-31T10:17
In 2012, Sean Marquis was an infantry platoon leader—deployed to Dehqobad, Afghanistan—with a Stryker brigade. The boundary between the platoon's area of responsibility and that of a...
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Joint SOF in Name Only from 2022-08-17T08:31
In the summer of 1993, Greg Banner was a newly appointed company commander in 10th Special Forces Group. Halfway around the world, ethnic tensions were flaring in the former Yugoslavia. The Cold...
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Marine Platoon in Baghdad from 2022-08-03T09:12
In the previous episode of The Spear, Karl Blanke shared a story ...
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A Machine Gunner on the March Up from 2022-07-20T08:03
In 2003, after completing the march up to Baghdad in dramatic fashion, and after an all-night gunfight to seize one of Saddam’s palaces, the Marines of Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine...
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Platoon Leader in Vietnam from 2022-07-06T12:49
Few books have had the impact on generations of young soldiers as Jim McDonough’s Platoon...
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Spectre in the Air from 2022-06-22T08:43
In August 2007, a US Army Special Forces team came under fire while passing through a valley in Afghanistan. The call for support went to a nearby base, where an AC-130H Spectre gunship crew was...
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Attack at Hiep Hoa from 2022-06-08T09:24
A newly minted Special Forces officer in the spring of 1966, Mike Eiland landed in Vietnam and joined 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). A team leader, Mike and his team were tasked wi...
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Leaving Afghanistan from 2022-05-25T09:17
In the late summer of 2021, after years of service to his country—including four years at the United States Military Academy—Major Naqib Mirzada, an Afghan National Army Special Forc...
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Taking the Wrong Trail from 2022-05-11T09:06
In 2012, Rich Kent was a platoon leader deployed to Panjwai in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. Tasked with locating an IED cell in a small village just outside his normal area of operations, Ke...
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SAM Killer Above the No-Fly Zone from 2022-04-27T08:19
In 1998, retired US Air Force Colonel Mike "Starbaby" Pietrucha was an electronic warfare officer flying in an F-15E Strike Eagle, enforcing the northern no-fly zone over Iraq in the 199...
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Dilemma on Route Mariners from 2022-04-13T11:54
Before his NFL career, Alejandro Villanueva was a rifle platoon leader in the 10th Mountain Division. During a deployment to an especially restive sector near Kandahar, Afghanistan, his unit fac...
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Training Civilians for War in Ukraine from 2022-04-01T12:11
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Armor in Ramadi, Part 2 from 2022-03-17T11:09
In the second episode in a two-part series, Dan Gade joins The Spear to tell the story of his 2004 deployment to Ramadi, Iraq. After his unit suffered the deaths of two sol...
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Armor in Ramadi, Part 1 from 2022-03-03T11:13
In 2004, Dan Gade’s armor company took over a sector of Ramadi, Iraq, then the heart of the Sunni insurgency. Within days, his unit suffered its first fatality. As a company comman...
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The Fighting XO from 2022-02-16T08:43
As an executive officer of an infantry company at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Afghanistan, Michael Houghton was heavily involved in one of his company's prima...
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A Machine Gunner's Wound from 2022-02-03T09:51
In an episode of The Spear released in June 2021, Karl Blank...
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Preparing to Evade from 2022-01-20T09:08
In 2011, Todd Angstman and his Special Forces team deployed to Gao, Mali, to provide training and assistance to the Malian Armed Forces. Gao was an important city, the hub of trans-Saharan trade...
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Ambushed in Baghdad from 2022-01-05T09:35
On August 11, 2004, Staff Sgt. John Borman’s platoon ventured out on what was supposed to be a short counter-mortar observation mission. Except that day, in...
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Fire in the Skies Over Baghdad from 2021-12-22T08:31
In this episode, retired US Air Force Col. Kim Campbell joins to share a story from 2003. A career A-10 pilot, her squadron was deployed to the Middle East at the beginning of the war in Iraq. D...
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Shot in Baghdad from 2021-11-24T08:30
In the fall of 2006, Rory McGovern was a company fire support officer assigned to a combined arms team operating in the area around Abu Ghraib, Iraq. The day after Christmas, he was on a...
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Mosul Gets Hot, Part 2 from 2021-11-10T03:44
On December 21, a suicide bomber detonated inside the dining facility on Forward Operating Base Marez outside of Mosul. Twenty-two people were killed in the blast, including Captain William Jaco...
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Mosul Gets Hot, Part 1 from 2021-10-27T08:34
In late 2004, Mosul was becoming more and more unstable. Matt Sacra, a Stryker platoon leader, and his soldiers deployed there to help quell the growing insurgenc...
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A Horse Soldier Reflects from 2021-10-15T08:37
In late 2001, Scott Neil was a US Army Special Forces soldier whose team was among the first US forces in Afghanistan—the legendary Horse Soldiers who led s...
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The Decision-Making Crucible of Combat from 2021-09-22T11:31
In 2005, Major General Pat Roberson was the ground force commander for a combined special forces task force in Iraq given the task of melding a battalion of Iraqi...
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Ambush in a Restive Valley from 2021-09-09T15:20
In this episode, host Tim Heck is joined by Lt. Col. Blake Schwartz. In 2009, Schwartz was a Special Forces team leader deployed in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan. Enemy fighters in the Langar va...
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Battle for the Mosque from 2021-08-25T08:25
On April 10, 2003, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (A/1/5) was tasked with searching a mosque in Baghdad for Saddam Hussein. The previous night and into that morning, A/1/5...
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Ambushed Ambushers from 2021-08-18T11:53
In 2008, Major Corey Faison was a scout platoon leader at Combat Outpost Lowell in Afghanistan's Nuristan province. Th...
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Drone Strike in Kunar from 2021-07-29T09:17
This episode of The Spear features a story from US Air Force Major Joe...
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The Three-Block War in Sadr City from 2021-07-19T08:31
For then-Major Bill “Fenway” Wyman, Sadr City in 2004 was a strange mix of combat and humanitarian missions. Fenway was a civil affairs team leader, a...
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Finding Balance from 2021-06-30T10:02
In 2009, Lieutenant Mike Karlson deployed to Afghanistan, new to both his unit and to his job as executive office of its maintenance troop. During that deployment...
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Baghdad, 2003 from 2021-06-17T07:37
In 2003, Karl Blanke was a weapons platoon commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Crossing the line of departure in the first wave, Blanke’s Marines spen...
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In the Air over Anbar from 2021-06-02T12:42
In 2007, United States Marine Captain Kyleanne Hunter was flying escort missions above Marines operating in western Iraq. When the Marines on the ground discovered a massive weapons cache—...
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Reconnaissance Mission Compromised from 2021-05-25T07:15
In the spring of 2003, Lt. Col. Dave Rittgers commanded a Special Forces team deploying to Afghanistan. As soon as the team arrived in country, its members were told to begin planning immediatel...
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Hand-to-Hand Combat, When It's Least Expected from 2021-05-06T08:29
In this episode of The Spear, MWI's John Amble is joined by Maj. Tyson Walsh. In 2013, during a deployment in Afghanistan, he found himself fighting hand to hand against an enemy c...
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A UH-60 in a Firefight from 2021-04-26T09:27
In this episode, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Joe Roland joins to share a story from 2004. A UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, his aircraft and another were supporting an Army Special Forces team in search of ...
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Neutralize the Threat from 2021-04-09T09:25
In this episode, we talk to retired US Army Apache pilot Dan McClinton. He tells two stories from a 2007 deployment to Iraq. Together, the stories demonstrate powerful lessons about how military...
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The First Living Medal of Honor Recipient Since Vietnam from 2021-03-25T10:40
In this episode, Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by retired Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. In 2010, he became the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Listen as he descr...
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Thirty Seconds on the Ground from 2021-03-11T10:04
As a lieutenant, Maj. Jesse Lansford was deployed to Afghanistan. A Kiowa helicopter pilot assigned as an aviation platoon leader, he rarely found himself on foot outside the wire. But on one da...
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Get the Puma in the Air from 2021-02-27T03:51
This episode features a conversation with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dylan Ferguson. In 2012, he served as part of the brigade aviation element of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Div...
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Ambush Alley from 2021-02-10T04:04
In 2003, Dave Rittgers was in command of a Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan. Partway through its tour, the team moved to a firebase in Orgun-E to undertake a new mission: helping to m...
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A Quick Reaction Force in Sangin District from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In this episode of The Spear, we're joined by Gunnery Sgt. Jeff Kurek. One day in 2010, during a deployment in Afghanistan, his squad was designated as the QRF—quick reaction force—ready to respond...
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Apaches into the Fight from 2021-01-27T03:16
This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Capt. Lindsay Heisler. An aviation officer and Apache pilot, in December 2015 she was part of a mission in Afghanistan suppor...
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A Sniper Section's Fight in Ghazni from 2020-12-31T07:03
In 2012, Master Sgt. Brody Hall was a sniper section leader in a scout platoon in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, deployed in eastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province. Tasked with providing ove...
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Coming in Low from 2020-12-16T04:15
During a deployment in Afghanistan, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dylan Ferguson was flying an Apache, providing close air support to a special operations ground force below. When his aircraft's 30-mi...
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Combat in the Kunar River Valley from 2020-12-02T03:16
In this episode Maj. John A. Meyer shares a story from his first deployment, in 2007, to Afghanistan. On July 27, his platoon and a group of Afghan National Army soldiers were movin...
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The Reaper in Combat from 2020-11-18T04:04
This episode features a story from Maj. Joe Ritter, an MQ-9 pilot—the first remotely piloted aircraft story featured on The Spear. The MQ-9 has a wide range of the capabil...
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The Most Challenging Start to a Platoon's Year in Afghanistan from 2020-11-04T03:02
In 2010, Maj. Tyson Walsh was a platoon leader on his first deployment. Just ten days after arriving in Afghanistan, the platoon suffered its first casualties when an IED—an improvised exp...
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Spectre Gunship Overhead from 2020-10-21T03:23
In August 2007, a US Army Special Forces team came under fire while passing through a valley in Afghanistan. The call for support went to a nearby base, where an AC-130H Spectre gunship ...
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Support the Ground Force from 2020-10-08T03:22
Just six weeks out of flight school, Jordan Terry was in Afghanistan. On one of his first days flying, he took off on a flight that was supposed to be straightforward—he and three other pi...
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Hostage Rescue from 2020-09-23T03:47
On October 22, 2015, members of a special operations joint task force deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve were given a mission: rescue seventy hostages being held by ISIS. ...
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Three Missions in Panjwai from 2020-09-09T03:49
This episode features a conversation with Ryan Hendrickson. After almost losing his leg in an IED blast in 2010, he was back in Afghanistan just eighteen months later. He shares the stories of t...
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Chasing Ghosts from 2020-08-26T15:54
In 2012, Mike Kelvington was a company commander in 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, deployed in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province. He joins The Spear to share a stor...
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An Infantry Company at War from 2020-08-12T14:56
In 2007, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment deployed to the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Over their months in a combat zone, they would see some of the most inten...
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A Platoon's Fight in Paktia Province from 2020-07-29T03:25
In this episode of The Spear, MWI's John Amble is joined by Maj. Jacob Absalon. He shares a story from his first deployment, as a lieutenant and platoon leader in eastern Afghan...
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Command and Control from 2020-07-15T02:23
In 2006, Lt. Col. James Enos was a company commander deployed in Ramadi, Iraq. One day, his company's company's foot patrol turned quickly into a firefight. He knew his job was to gain situ...
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Calling in the Fast Movers from 2020-07-01T02:53
In this episode of The Spear, retired Marine officer David Berke joins to share a story from 2006, when he was a forward air controller attached to an Army unit in Ramadi, Iraq. During ...
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A Tough Fight in the Saw Valley from 2020-06-17T01:26
In 2009, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Ambriz was on his first deployment in Afghanistan. When a platoon became pinned down by enemy fire, he was among the soldiers sent to help. The highest ranking soldi...
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Rescue on an Afghan Mountainside from 2020-06-03T04:29
This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Josh Webster. A US Army officer, he previously served as a US Air Force pararescueman—a member of an elite part of the ...
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Taliban Assault at Wanat from 2020-05-22T21:08
On July 13, 2008, around two hundred Taliban fighters ambushed American and Afghan soldiers in a remote area of eastern Afghanistan. The ensuing fight would become one of the deadliest battles f...
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The Fight for Barawala Kalay from 2020-05-08T02:24
In 2010 Kevin Mott's unit arrived in Afghanistan's Kunar province for a deployment that would see months of hard fighting. At one point, he was even wounded so badly—shot in the head, four...
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Flying and Landing a Busted, Shot-Up Plane from 2020-04-23T03:14
In this episode of The Spear, US Air Force Col. Kim Campbell joins to share a story from 2003. A career A-10 pilot, during one mission in the opening weeks of the war in Iraq she f...
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One Day in Panjwai from 2020-04-10T03:12
Maj. Brian Kitching joins this episode of The Spear to share a story from a 2012 deployment in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. Two months into the deployment, the co...
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Tip of the Spear in the Ebola Response from 2020-03-27T21:24
In 2014 and 2015, the US Army sent soldiers to help respond to an outbreak of Ebola in Liberia. Capt. Jerod Brammer led one of the deployed teams. He was responsible for setting up and running a...
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Two Wars in Iraq from 2020-03-11T16:19
In 2003, Alex Perez-Cruz was a company executive officer during the invasion of Iraq. He returned as a company commander during the Surge. Now a lieutenant colonel, he shares stories from each o...
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A Direct Hit from a Devastating New Weapon from 2020-03-02T15:19
In 2007, Patrick Melton was a military police soldier on his first deployment in Baghdad when his combat outpost was hit by a barrage of improvised, rocket-assisted munitions. He was sitting ins...
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Combat, Recovery, and Resilience from 2020-02-21T03:39
In this episode of The Spear, MWI Deputy Director Maj. Noel Sioson is joined by retired Master Sgt. Cedric King. In 2012 in Afghanistan, on "a day just like any other day," as he d...
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The Largest Air Assault in History from 2020-01-30T03:54
Col. Bill Ostlund retired from the Army in 2019. In 1990, as a lieutenant, he arrived at his first unit as an officer and almost immediately got the order to deploy to Saudi Arabia. Shortly afte...
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Contact, Contact, Contact! from 2020-01-15T03:08
In 2003, Maj. John Spencer was a platoon leader in Iraq. One night, while waiting in an ambush position, he gave the order for his platoon to move to interdict a group of armed men. When his lea...
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Fighting With a Broken Gun from 2020-01-03T17:56
As a lieutenant on his first deployment, Capt. Steve Beckman was in charge of a platoon equipped with a unique vehicle—a Stryker variant called a Mobile Gun System. But when the 105mm main...
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A Kiowa Pilot's IED Story from 2019-12-19T07:49
As a lieutenant, Maj. Jesse Lansford was deployed to Afghanistan. A Kiowa helicopter pilot assigned as an aviation platoon leader, he rarely found himself on foot outside the wire. But on one da...
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Operation Strong Eagle III from 2019-12-04T15:28:22
In this episode of The Spear, MWI's Maj. Jake Miraldi speaks to Capt. Jason Pomeroy. In 2011, he was a platoon leader in Kunar province, Afghanistan, and he joins the podcast to tell th...
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Hand-to-Hand Combat from 2019-11-22T01:30:51
In this episode of The Spear, MWI's John Amble is joined by Maj. Tyson Walsh. In 2013, during a deployment in Afghanistan, he found himself fighting hand to hand against an enemy combat...
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Protect the Ground Force from 2019-11-07T03:13:59
This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Capt. Lindsay Heisler. An aviation officer and Apache pilot, in December 2015 she was part of a mission in Afghanistan supporting ...
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A Medic in Combat from 2019-10-26T00:09:42
This episode of The Spear features our first ever conversation with a US Army medic. On Oct. 3, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating was attacked by three hundred enemy fighters. Half of the fi...
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Remembering the Battle of Mogadishu, Part Two from 2019-10-16T18:33:06
This episode of The Spear is the second in a two-part series featuring three guests who took part in the Battle of Mogadishu, made famous by the book Black Hawk Down and the mo...
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Remembering the Battle of Mogadishu, Part One from 2019-10-16T18:26:30
This episode of The Spear is the first in a two-part series featuring three guests who took part in the Battle of Mogadishu, made famous by the book Black Hawk Down and the mov...
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"All Hell Broke Loose" from 2019-09-27T00:19:45
In the second of a two-part conversation with Ryan Hendrickson, our guest shares a story from 2016. Six years and a couple deployments after nearly losing his leg in an IED blast, Ryan was once ...
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Apaches over Mosul from 2019-08-28T02:26:54
In this episode of The Spear, we're joined by Capt. Lucas Gebhart. An aviation officer, he was deployed to Iraq during the Battle of Mosul. That battle involves intense fighting on the ...
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Special Forces on Patrol from 2019-08-16T15:07:17
This episode features the first of a two-part conversation with Ryan Hendrickson. In this part, he shares a story from a 2010 deployment. On a mission in a particularly restive part of Afghanist...
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Reacting to an Ambush in Baghdad from 2019-08-09T17:26:58
In 2008, Maj. Emily Spencer was an EOD platoon leader in Iraq. In April, she and one of her teams accompanied a route clearance patrol that was planned to approach Sadr City, a notorious safe ha...
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A Taliban Ambush in Helmand from 2019-07-17T01:00:27
In 2008, British Army officer Will Meddings was part of a team deployed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, tasked with partnering with, mentoring, and training Afghan forces. That job brings with...
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A Marine Platoon's War in Anbar from 2019-07-08T17:25:52
In 2004, Tim Strabbing was a lieutenant and platoon commander in the Marine Corps, deployed to an area just outside Fallujah in Iraq's restive Anbar province. Listen as he tells the story of one...
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Delivering Aid in the Middle of a War from 2019-06-18T19:29:02
Dave Eubank is a former US Army special forces officer and the founder of the Free Burma Rangers, an aid organization that works extensively in conflict zones. At the height of the fight against...
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By, With, and Through: Inside the Battle for Mosul from 2019-06-04T21:43:35
The battle to wrest control of the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS involved some of the fiercest urban combat since World War II. Throughout the battle, US forces partnered with Iraqi security for...
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Apaches Overhead in Baghdad from 2019-05-22T04:17:19
In this episode, we talk to retired US Army Apache pilot Dan McClinton. He tells two stories from a 2007 deployment to Iraq. Together, the stories demonstrate powerful lessons about how military...
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The Second Battle of Fallujah from 2019-05-08T03:43:04
This episode of The Spear features a conversation with Lt. Col. Coley Tyler. In late 2004, he was a captain serving as a battalion fire support officer in Iraq. That meant that when the...
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A Helicopter Mission During the Invasion of Iraq from 2019-04-24T03:14:22
Col. Phil Ryan is an Army aviator who has spent much of his career in the Army's most elite, special operations aviation units. In 2003, in the first days of the invasion of Iraq, he was a pilot...
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Drafted Twice: From the NFL to Vietnam and Back from 2019-04-10T19:13:42
In 1968, after one season as a professional football player, Rocky Bleier was drafted by the Army and sent to Vietnam. During a firefight, he was wounded twice. In this episode, he shares his st...
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A Medal of Honor Recipient's Story from 2019-03-27T01:44:38
In this episode, MWI's Maj. Jake Miraldi is joined by retired Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. In 2010, he became the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Listen as he...
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Never Leave a Fallen Comrade from 2019-03-13T02:14:08
In this episode, Col. Bill Ostlund tells the story of what he calls the most honorable mission he took part in over more than three decades of Army service. When a soldier from an adjacent batta...
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Nerve Agent Attack in Britain from 2019-02-27T04:29:42
In March 2018, after a dangerous nerve agent was shockingly used in the British city of Salisbury, authorities looked to the armed forces to play a role in the response. Maj. Clodia O’Neill was ...
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Kiowas in the Pech River Valley from 2019-02-15T17:23:37
In 2010, Maj. Patrick Dubois was a lieutenant deployed as a Kiowa helicopter pilot to Afghanistan. One day, a mission to provide support to a ground force changed quickly when he and his co-pilo...
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Katyusha Rockets Inbound from 2019-02-01T02:27:10
In 2007, Tony Luberto was a maintenance platoon leader deployed in Baghdad. Early one morning, he awoke to the devastating sounds of a Katyusha rocket attack. He talks through the attack, his so...
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First Into Afghanistan from 2019-01-16T23:10:48
For seventeen years, the US military has been at war in Afghanistan. The guests on this episode were there at the very beginning. Jason Amerine and Mark Nutsch were both Army captains and in com...
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The Fight that Earned a Platoon Leader the Silver Star from 2019-01-02T16:32:32
In 2012, Capt. Nick Dockery was a platoon leader in Afghanistan. When his platoon was attacked during a mission, an intense fight ensued. Capt. Dockery was recently recognized as the 2017 recipi...
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The Battle of Mogadishu, Part Two from 2018-12-19T19:27:54
This episode of The Spear is the second in a two-part series featuring three guests who took part in the Battle of Mogadishu, made famous by the book Black Hawk Down and the mo...
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The Battle of Mogadishu, Part One from 2018-12-06T04:15:03
This episode of The Spear is the first in a two-part series featuring three guests who took part in the Battle of Mogadishu, made famous by the book Black Hawk Down and the mov...
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Surviving a Direct Hit from 2018-11-21T04:53:45
In 2007, Patrick Melton was a military police soldier on his first deployment in Baghdad, when his combat outpost was hit by a barrage of improvised, rocket-assisted munitions. He was sitting in...
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Split-Second Decision from 2018-11-08T20:14:10
In October 2008, Maj. Nick Eslinger was a lieutenant on his first deployment as a platoon leader in Iraq. While on patrol one day, he turned his head just in time to see an incoming grenade. He ...
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The First IRAM Attack in Iraq from 2018-10-24T01:33:29
In 2007, a destructive new weapon appeared on the battlefield in Iraq: the improvised, rocket-assisted munition. Also called a lob bomb because of the way it is launched high into the air to lan...
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An Infantry Company's War in Afghanistan from 2018-10-10T03:58:54
In 2007, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment deployed to the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Over their months in a combat zone, they would see some of the most inten...
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Combat Outpost Keating from 2018-09-26T02:00:34
On October 3, 2009, several hundred Taliban fighters attacked Combat Outpost Keating, an isolated outpost manned by B Troop, 3-61 CAV and a small number of Afghan National Army soldiers. The ens...
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A Platoon Leader's First Combat Missions from 2018-09-12T03:04:37
In 2003, Maj. (ret) John Spencer was a platoon leader in the 173rd Airborne. In this episode, he talks about the very first mission after his unit jumped in northern Iraq. He also described a co...
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Surviving an IED Blast, then Returning to War, Part 2 from 2018-08-29T04:34:04
In the second of a two-part conversation with Ryan Hendrickson, our guest shares a story from 2016. Six years and a couple deployments after nearly losing his leg in an IED blast, Ryan was once ...
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Surviving an IED Blast, then Returning to War, Part 1 from 2018-08-15T04:31:53
This episode features the first of a two-part conversation with Ryan Hendrickson. In this part, he shares a story from a 2010 deployment. On a mission in a particularly restive part of Afghanist...
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A Green-on-Blue Attack in Nangarhar from 2018-08-01T20:46:22
In February 2012, Capt. Jannelle Allong-Diakabana was a military police platoon leader deployed in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. One day, as she and her platoon prepared to respond to an inci...
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The Battle of Wanat from 2018-07-12T03:48:52
On July 13, 2008, around two hundred Taliban fighters ambushed American and Afghan soldiers in a remote area of eastern Afghanistan. The ensuing fight would become one of the deadliest battles f...
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An Ambush in Musa Qala from 2018-06-27T15:32:40
In 2008, British Army officer Will Meddings was part of a team deployed in Helmand province, Afghanistan, tasked with partnering with, mentoring, and training Afghan forces. That job brings with...
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Under Fire, from Iraq to Afghanistan from 2018-06-14T02:37:59
This episode of The Spear features Brian Humphreys, a former US Marine Corps officer who shares stories from two deployments. In the first, to Iraq’s Anbar province,the ambush he descri...
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A Marine Platoon in Anbar from 2018-05-23T15:43:59
In 2004, Tim Strabbing was a lieutenant and platoon commander in the Marine Corps, deployed to an area just outside Fallujah in Iraq's restive Anbar province. Listen as he tells the story of one...
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Crossing the Berm in 2003 from 2018-05-15T21:29:28
In 2003, Alex Perez-Cruz was a company executive officer during the invasion of Iraq. He returned as a company commander during the Surge. Now a lieutenant colonel, he shares stories from each o...
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The Free Burma Rangers in Iraq from 2018-05-03T07:46:52
Dave Eubank is a former US Army special forces officer and the founder of the Free Burma Rangers, an aid organization that works extensively in conflict zones. At the height of the fight against...
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Desert Storm Air Assault from 2018-04-18T03:10:06
Col. Bill Ostlund is the director of the Department of Military Instruction at West Point. In 1990, as a lieutenant, he arrived at his first unit as an officer and almost immediately got the ord...
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Apaches on Station from 2018-04-05T02:52:28
In this episode, we talk to retired US Army Apache pilot Dan McClinton. He tells two stories from a 2007 deployment to Iraq. Together, the stories demonstrate powerful lessons about how military...
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A 2003 Helicopter Mission Deep into Iraq from 2018-03-06T20:42:47
Col. Phil Ryan is the commander of the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. In 2003, in the first days of the invasion of Iraq, he was a pilot in the unit, part of a fourteen-helico...
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The First Firefighters at the World Trade Center on 9/11 from 2018-02-22T02:54:11
This episode doesn't feature a combat story. But the conversation with FDNY's Chief Joseph Pfeifer is strikingly similar to the story we've heard in past episodes about combat. Like those, it co...
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Return Fire and Assault the Objective from 2018-02-08T02:23:10
In 2003, Maj. John Spencer was a platoon leader in Iraq. One night, while waiting in an ambush position, he gave the order for his platoon to move to interdict a group of armed men. When his lea...
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Surviving a Katyusha Rocket Attack from 2018-01-11T02:11:34
In 2007, Tony Luberto was a maintenance platoon leader deployed in Baghdad. Early one morning, he awoke to the devastating sounds of a Katyusha rocket attack. He talks through the attack, his so...
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The "Lob Bomb" Attack on COP Callahan from 2017-12-13T02:19:40
In 2007, a destructive new weapon appeared on the battlefield in Iraq: the improvised, rocket-assisted munition. Also called a lob bomb because of the way it is launched high into the air to lan...
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The Battle of COP Keating from 2017-11-28T23:33:04
On October 3, 2009, several hundred Taliban fighters attacked Combat Outpost Keating, an isolated outpost manned by B Troop, 3-61 CAV and a small number of Afghan National Army soldiers. The ens...
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An Incoming Grenade and a Split-Second Decision from 2017-11-15T05:11:39
In October 2008, Maj. Nick Eslinger was a lieutenant on his first deployment as a platoon leader in Iraq. While on patrol one day, he turned his head just in time to see an incoming grenade. He ...
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Green on Blue from 2017-11-01T20:03:37
In February 2012, Capt. Jannelle Allong-Diakabana was a military police platoon leader deployed in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan. One day, as she and her platoon prepared to respond to an inci...
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The First Special Forces Teams into Afghanistan from 2017-10-18T00:53:46
For sixteen years, the US military has been at war in Afghanistan. The guests on this episode were there at the very beginning. Jason Amerine and Mark Nutsch were both Army captains and in comma...
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Fighting Inside Grenade Range from 2017-10-05T00:55:13
In 2012, Capt. Nick Dockery was a platoon leader in Afghanistan. When his platoon was attacked during a mission, an intense fight ensued. Capt. Dockery was recently recognized as the 2017 recipi...
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An EFP Strike and Recovery from the Wounds of War from 2017-09-20T05:09:12
In 2007, Col. Marc Hoffmeister was a major on a Military Transition Team advising Iraqi Security Forces when an explosively formed penetrator, a specific and devastating form of IED, hit his Hum...
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In the Pentagon on 9/11 from 2017-09-06T03:01:44
On September 11, 2001, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen was a colonel assigned to the Pentagon. Today he's the superintendent of the US Military Academy, and he sat down to share his firsthand experience ...
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Operation Blowfish from 2017-08-22T21:59:47
In 2010, Col. Jonathan Neumann commanded 1/17 Infantry Battalion, deployed in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Near the end of the deployment, the battalion received intelligence that Taliban for...
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Face to Face with a Suicide Bomber from 2017-08-09T02:02:26
On August 16, 2013, Capt. Brandon Thomas was a troop commander deployed to Kandahar province, Afghanistan. That day, during an unplanned halt on a mission, Capt. Thomas and his soldiers were hit...
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Combat Stories from the Invasion of Iraq from 2017-07-26T03:10:47
In 2003, Maj. John Spencer was a platoon leader in the 173rd Airborne. In this episode, he talks about the very first mission after his unit jumped in northern Iraq. He also described a complex ...
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An Insider Attack in Afghanistan from 2017-07-12T01:29:16
In 2014, Master Sgt. Raymond Collazo was a platoon sergeant deployed to eastern Afghanistan. Just weeks into his unit's deployment, the platoon was on a mission that took them to a police compou...
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A Firefight on the Edge of Sadr City from 2017-07-05T22:51:12
In 2008, Maj. Emily Spencer was an EOD platoon leader in Iraq. In April, she and one of her teams accompanied a route clearance patrol that was planned to approach Sadr City, a notorious safe ha...
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The Battle of Barg-e Matal from 2017-07-05T22:48:50
This is the first episode in MWI's new podcast, "The Spear," which is aimed at providing a window into the combat experience. In this episode, Capt. Jake Miraldi walks us through the 2009 Battle...
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