#157: War Is Failure - Former Special Operator John McPhee

Serving in Special Forces isn’t supposed to be easy. In fact, becoming a Green Beret is rewarding because it’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy, anyone could do it; but not everyone can, or should, be considered elite. 

John McPhee is one of America’s former Special Operators, having served in the Infantry, Special Forces and briefly in Delta Force. The self proclaimed Sheriff of Baghdad tells it like it is and leaves nothing up to interpretation.

The Jedburgh Podcast, the Jedburgh Media Channel and the Green Beret Foundation are proud to announce our partnership with the University of Health and Performance outside of Bentonville, Arkansas. UHP is dedicated to building the world’s most elite fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs out of our Veterans. 

John and Host Fran Racioppi climbed into the back of an armored Humvee to reminisce about the impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, what America did right, what we did wrong, and why the counter-terrorism battle is far from over. 

John also shares his thoughts on the Army today, how to fix recruiting, the Israeli pager war, and why we must never forget that a Special Operator’s job is to close with and destroy the enemy.

Watch, listen or read our conversation from a vehicle many of us spent too much time in. Don’t miss our full Veterans Day coverage from UHP. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:50 Welcome to UHP
• 2:39 Rangers to Green Beret
• 4:00 Special Forces in the 90s
• 5:57 How 9/11 changed Special Forces
• 10:16 Legacy of Afghanistan
• 13:12 Sheriff of Baghdad
• 15:35 Disbanding the Iraqi government
• 18:20 The difference in Syria
• 19:42 Israel-Iran Pager War
• 25:30 Army Recruiting Challenges
• 27:05 Is the Army woke?
• 29:55 Next generation of NCOs
• 32:35 The PTSD debate
• 37:18 Wear yourself out everyday

QUOTES

• "We had no bullets. No money to go train. The Army didn’t have a budget. The 90s Special Forces sucked.”
• “This is where nations go to die. What did we think was going to happen?”
• “You can’t do that. You can’t just get rid of the whole army like that.”
• “We had enough money to buy where Saddam was without ever firing a shot.”
• “Syria can never be tamed and it will always be a problem for us.”
• “War is only a failure of politicians and politics.”
• “We didn’t have an Army before WWII. We fielded 6 million men quick. When America gets pissed off, you’re done.”
• “The Army needs to do two things only. Kill the bad guys and break their shit.” 
• “I would tell anybody to try to be the smartest guy in the room because generally the smartest guy in the room is going to be the best Commando.”
• “I personally don’t believe in PTSD. You get stuck in the same chapter of your book.”
• “Every human being should be taking an hour to two hours a day on themselves.”

The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of my guests and myself. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy, nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.