Iraq, Afghanistan, ISIS, & Ukraine: One Fighter’s Journey Through Modern War | Ryan O'Leary | Ep. 409

Combat veteran Ryan O'Leary joins us to discuss his journey from the Army National Guard to fighting alongside Kurdish forces against ISIS in Iraq, working with Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups, and later experiencing the war in Ukraine firsthand. Ryan breaks down the realities of insurgency warfare, Kurdish resistance movements, and why modern conflicts are being transformed by drones, surveillance, and battlefield transparency.<br />This episode also dives into the future of warfare, the limits of regime change, corruption inside war zones, and what Western militaries still fail to understand about modern combat.<br /><br />Today's Sponsors:<br />GhostBed ⬇️<br />https://www.ghostbed.com/house<br />FOR 10% off! <br /><br />Blue Chew ⬇️<br />https://bluechew.com/<br />Get 1 month free when you buy 2 of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL"<br /><br />Good Ranchers ⬇️<br />https://www.goodranchers.com/<br />Get $25 off your first order with the code "HOUSE"<br /><br />For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON! <br />https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse<br />To help support the show and for all bonus content including:<br />-live shows and asking guest questions <br />-ad free audio and video<br />-early access to shows<br />-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests<br />Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️<br />https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse<br />Support the show here:⬇️<br />https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse<br />___________________________________________________<br />PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" <br />⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️<br />https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/<br />Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️<br />https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured<br />__________________________________<br />Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️<br />https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/<br />——————————————————————<br />Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️<br />https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse<br />Social Media: ⬇️<br />The Team House Instagram:<br />https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link<br />The Team House Twitter:<br />https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod<br />Jack’s Instagram:<br />https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link<br />Jack’s Twitter:<br /> https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21<br />Dave’s Twitter: <br />https://twitter.com/dave_parke?s=21<br />Team House Discord: ⬇️<br />https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6<br />SubReddit: ⬇️<br />https://www.reddit.com/r/TheTeamHouse/<br />Jack Murphy's memoir "Murphy's Law" can be found here:⬇️<br /> https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Law-Journey-Investigative-Journalist/dp/1501191241<br />The Team Room Reading Room (Amazon Affiliate links):⬇️<br /> https://jackmurphywrites.com/the-team-room-reading-room/<br />Intro music by https://www.youtube.com/user/RemixSample<br />"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"<br /><br />00:00 — Start <br />01:25 — Growing up in Iowa and joining the Army National Guard<br />03:25 — Iraq deployment: FOB security and disillusionment with the war<br />04:20 — Afghanistan in RC Pactia: first firefights and combat patrols<br />05:45 — Ambushed on day one and surviving RPG attacks<br />08:50 — Why Afghanistan felt minor compared to later wars in Kurdistan and Ukraine<br />09:35 — Going AWOL to fight ISIS with the Kurds in Iraq<br />11:40 — Watching U.S. airstrikes outside Erbil as ISIS closed in<br />13:20 — Joining the Peshmerga with almost no process or paperwork<br />15:00 — Fighting across Iraq with Kurdish and Iranian Kurdish units<br />16:20 — The Kurdish-Iraqi civil war around Kirkuk explained<br />18:40 — Taking tank fire from Iraqi Abrams tanks during the fighting<br />21:10 — Mortar teams, ATGMs, and chaos on the Kirkuk front<br />24:00 — Kurdish independence, Kirkuk oil, and Iran’s role in the conflict<br />27:00 — U.S. weapons ending up with Iranian-backed militias and PMUs<br />29:00 — Meeting Iranian Kurdish fighters and deciding to work with them<br />32:10 — Living in the Qandil Mountains with Kurdish insurgents<br />34:20 — Kurdish separatism, Mahabad, and dreams of independence<br />39:10 — Life with Iranian Kurds: morale, culture, and surviving in the mountains<br />41:45 — Learning insurgency warfare from the inside<br />43:20 — Why insurgencies are nearly impossible to defeat<br />47:55 — Could Iranian Kurds actually help overthrow Tehran?<br />53:20 — Why regime change in Iran was always unrealistic<br />01:02:00 — Early Ukraine war experiences and how drones changed everything<br />01:14:30 — FPV drones, trench warfare, and why modern combat is now transparent<br />01:28:00 — What Western militaries still don’t understand about drone warfare<br />01:40:30 — Surviving artillery, drone drops, and constant surveillance in Ukraine<br />01:55:00 — Why infantry movement is becoming nearly impossible on the modern battlefield<br />02:07:00 — Foreign fighters in Ukraine: motivations, strengths, and problems<br />02:18:00 — Corruption, logistics, and the reality behind the Ukrainian war effort<br />02:31:00 — Lessons from Iraq, Kurdistan, and Ukraine for future U.S. wars<br />02:42:30 — China, Taiwan, and how drones could reshape the Pacific battlefield<br />02:54:00 — Why small units and adaptability matter more than ever<br />03:05:00 — The psychological toll of nonstop drone surveillance and attrition warfare<br />03:15:30 — Final thoughts on the future of warfare and where conflict is heading<br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support</a>.