Episode 58: Bing West on Leadership, Afghanistan, and Large Scale Combat Operations

The 18th Airborne Corps Podcast

Bing West has always loved American Grunts.

Ever since he led a platoon of Marines in Vietnam, he's had an affinity for the man (and now woman) on the ground at the leading edge of America's wars. That's why he wrote the 1972 book "The Village," about 17 months in the lives of a squad of Marines fighting in Binh Nghia, Vietnam. He wrote for the Marine Corps as well, publishing the service's official counterinsurgency manual.

Throughout our post-9/11 wars, he continued to champion the Grunt.

From 2003 through 2008, he made 16 extended trips to Iraq, going on patrols and writing three books and numerous articles about the war. His 2005 book "No True Glory," is the definitive frontline account of the Battle for Fallujah. His 2008 book "The Strongest Tribe," will hold up for generations as a comprehensive history of the American war in Iraq.

From 2007 through 2011, he made numerous trips to Afghanistan, each time living and traveling with ground units. His 2011 book "The Wrong War," is a definitive account of American missteps and successes in Afghanistan.

Bing was in Afghanistan on September 8, 2009 when Marine Sergeant Dakota Meyer singlehandedly evacuated or provided cover for dozens of US service members in Kunar during the Battle of Ganjgal. Hearing the story, Bing investigated and wrote about Dakota's account. He pushed the Marine Corps, the Department of Defense, Congress, and the White House for Dakota to receive the Medal of Honor and he did, in a White House ceremony on September 15, 2011.

Aside from his writing, he's had an influential career as a counterinsurgency analyst, first for the Rand Corporation and later as an assistant to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Bing's good friend.

Meanwhile, he's continued to write, both fiction and non-fiction, telling the stories of the American Marine and Soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq.

On Episode 58 of the podcast, Bing joins his old friend Joe Buccino, host of the podcast, to talk about caring leadership, the end of the war of Afghanistan, the Army's focus on Large Scale Combat Operations, and why Army leaders should stop tweeting.

It's a great talk, a rich discussion with lessons and wisdom for all military leaders.

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