School of War

What War Teaches Us—If We Survive It

Dienstag, 15. September 2026 · 1 h 02

MP3

Shownotes

People think retired Army Major John Spencer lost part of his ear in combat. He didn’t; he lost it in a fight behind a bar that cost him his spot in the Army Rangers. Spencer went on to serve repeatedly in combat and become one of the country’s leading experts on urban warfare. He joins Aaron MacLean to discuss his origin story and other anecdotes from his new book, Twenty Times I Almost Died (bookshop.org/a/93116/9798895655566), as well as why he thinks the U.S. “is clearly winning” the war in Iran.

War With Iran
Battle of Hormuz
Wartime Stockpiles
The Stakes of Failure
Losing His Ear
Losing the Rangers
Resilience
Invading Iraq
Common Sense in Combat
The IED Trap
Battle of Marjah
Gangs of Baghdad

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