dee takos
21 March 2026
We sit down with Josh Bates to discuss his experience as a Marine infantry officer during the invasion of Iraq, from the initial push north to the chaos of Baghdad after the regime collapsed. He breaks down the realities of urban combat, leadership under pressure, and the breakdown of order that fueled the early insurgency. We also discuss how those experiences shaped his career and led to writing The Baghdad Shuffle. Grab "Baghdad Shuffle" here:⬇️ https://a.co/d/045PaH2P Today's Sponsors: Mando ⬇️ Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with MANDO and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code [TEAMHOUSE] at https://shopmando.com/ GhostBed⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off! Blue Chew ⬇️ https://bluechew.com/ Get 10% off your first month of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL" Mars Men⬇️ For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://mengotomars.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse To help support the show and for all bonus content including: -live shows and asking guest questions -ad free audio and video -early access to shows -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse Support the show here:⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse ___________________________________________________ PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/ Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured __________________________________ Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/ —————————————————————— Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️ https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse Social Media: ⬇️ The Team House Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link The Team House Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod Jack’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link Jack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21 Dave’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dave_parke?s=21 Team House Discord: ⬇️ https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6 SubReddit: ⬇️ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheTeamHouse/ Jack Murphy's memoir "Murphy's Law" can be found here:⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Law-Journey-Investigative-Journalist/dp/1501191241 The Team Room Reading Room (Amazon Affiliate links):⬇️ https://jackmurphywrites.com/the-team-room-reading-room/ Intro music by https://www.youtube.com/user/RemixSample "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 Start 01:10 Growing Up in Hawaii & Marine Family Background 05:18 9/11 and Entering the Marine Corps 07:27 First Combat: Seizing Iraq’s Oil Infrastructure 10:55 Fighting Through Southern Iraq 15:07 Entering Baghdad & Urban Warfare 18:50 Looting, Crime, and Collapse of Order 23:08 Policing Baghdad & Early Occupation Chaos 27:15 Najaf, Elections Fallout & Rising Insurgency 34:15 The Wild West Phase of Early Iraq War 45:50 Platoon Leadership & Combat Culture 1:05:30 Transitioning Roles & Leaving the Platoon 1:20:45 Intelligence, Counterintel & Career Shift 1:35:30 Writing The Baghdad Shuffle 1:50:15 Lessons from Iraq & How the War Changed 2:05:00 Final Reflections & Closing Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.
0:00 / 0:00