Inside the Command Post in Pakistan During the Bin Laden Raid | Earthquake Relief | Leadership Lessons | Vice Adm (ret) Mike LeFever
Release Date: 02/08/2025
Service Beyond War: Combat, Kidney Donation, and Endurance with Matt Cavanaugh
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In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Matt Cavanaugh, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran, strategist, endurance athlete, and living kidney donor, for a conversation about what service really looks like when nobody’s watching. Matt is the author of Best Scar Wins: How You Can Be More Than You Were Before, and his story goes far beyond combat. We start with his experiences in Iraq and the weight of leadership under pressure, then move into the harder-to-talk-about parts of life after war: grief, identity, responsibility, and the quiet choices...
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Holding the Line in Mosul: A 10-Hour Urban Battle with Blackhawk Co.
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In this episode of Combat Story, Joe Troutman takes us inside one of the most intense and least-documented firefights of the Iraq War — a 10-hour urban fight in Mosul where Blackhawk Company, 1-23 Infantry, held ground without air support, under sustained RPG, machine-gun, and IED attacks. Joe served 18 years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a 13F Fire Support Specialist and Forward Observer, deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan. From the early days after 9/11, through the birth of the Stryker Brigade, to the brutal street fighting that followed, Joe’s story captures what...
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From the Streets, to Service, to Stand-Up: Michael D’Angelo’s Military Comedy Mission
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In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Michael D’Angelo — a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who turned a turbulent childhood, military service, and hard-earned life lessons into a career built on laughter and connection. Raised in a rough environment where stability was never guaranteed, Michael found in the Marine Corps something he didn’t have growing up: structure, purpose, and a way out. Serving as a Marine machine gunner, the Corps gave him direction — and later, perspective — on both pain and resilience. After leaving the military, Michael found a new mission through...
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“A Shadow Dance”: A Marine Officer’s Story of Fallujah, War, and Understanding the Enemy
Combat Story
In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Elliot Ackerman—former Marine infantry officer, CIA paramilitary operations officer, journalist, and bestselling author. Elliot takes us inside some of the most intense moments of modern warfare, from the brutal urban combat of Fallujah in 2004 to special operations deployments in Afghanistan and later transitioning into the CIA. He walks us through a harrowing platoon-level fight where his unit was surrounded, badly wounded, and forced to blow their way out under fire—starting the day with 46 Marines and ending with just 21 combat...
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Azad "Mike" - Special Operations Interpreter to United States Marine
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In this episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Azad, known overseas as “Mike,” whose life represents one of the most extraordinary and unlikely journeys to come out of the post-9/11 wars. Born Kurdish in Baghdad, Azad was still a child when the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq began. His first exposure to Americans didn’t come from movies, television, or Western culture — it came from U.S. soldiers operating in his hometown, at a time when alliances were fragile and the cost of being seen as a collaborator could be fatal. Driven by curiosity, survival, and a desire to understand the...
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Dauntless Courage: Inside Fallujah II and the Hardest Fought Battle of the War
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The Second Battle of Fallujah — also known as Operation Phantom Fury — was one of the most intense urban combat engagements fought by U.S. forces since Vietnam. In this gripping documentary, real Marines, soldiers, and corpsmen recount the chaos, courage, and sacrifice that defined Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004. This is not a scripted Hollywood war story. These are the firsthand voices of men who fought house to house, clearing buildings block by block in what became a defining moment of the Iraq War. Through raw interviews and authentic battlefield audio, this film captures the human...
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Invite to the Battle of Fallujah II Dauntless Courage Premiere on Combat Story with Ryan and AJ
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This is an invite to watch the Premiere of a Combat Story special episode titled Dauntless Courage focused entirely on combat stories taking place during the Battle of Fallujah II. To join the premiere later today, go to YouTube at and click notify me. The Premiere starts on Nov 8 at 8pm EST / 5pm PST. Ryan and AJ will be in the chat watching the video live with everyone, including other Marines who fought in Fallujah!
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Australian SAS Officer Mark Wales: Combat Stories, PTSD, and the Warrior Spirit | Combat Story
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Sponsored by Veterans Help Group — supporting veterans navigating VA benefits. In this incredible, unconventional story, Nate reveals how he discovered his life's purpose by taking a radical leap of faith. In 2004, feeling adrift and disturbed by the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan, Nate knew he had to do something. Rejected by countless NGOs due to his lack of a college degree and "special skills," he refused to accept "no" for an answer. With nothing but determination and a bold elevator pitch, he bought a plane ticket to Chad and found a way onto a UN flight to the refugee camps....
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Combat Story - Podumentary - Erick Miyares
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🎖️ From Marine Sniper to Army Special Operations Veteran | Erick Miyares’ Unbelievable Combat Story 🇺🇸. In this powerful episode, we sit down with Erick Miyares — a retired Special Operations soldier who began his journey in the U.S. Marine Corps and went on to serve in the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group and an Army Special Missions Unit under U.S. SOCOM. Eric takes us deep into the realities of war, from the jungles of Central and South America to the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. He opens up about taking a life, losing brothers, living with...
info_outlineToday’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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Mike has gone on to write a book about leading through crises titled End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis, and, since leaving service, has stayed very busy with roles as a CEO for a cyber and tech company; a senior advisor and mentor at the McChrystal Group; Performance Ambassador and Speaker for Liminal Collective and Arena Labs; works on the Cipher Brief with friend of the show Glenn Corn and more.
This is a really and insightful discussion with an incredibly senior, accomplished, yet thoroughly humble leader and I hope you enjoy his sense of humor, honest talk, and experiences at the highest levels of both global affairs and military strategy as much as I did.
Check out our Combat Story Newsletter at www.combatstory.com/newsletter
Find Mike LeFever Online:
https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/mike-lefever/
End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis
Find Ryan Online:
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🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes:
00:44 Introduction to Combat Story and Host
01:03 Meet Vice Admiral Mike Lefevre
01:34 Career Highlights and Leadership Roles
02:25 Personal Insights and Experiences
02:53 Memorable Moments in Islamabad
07:07 Significant Events and Challenges in Pakistan
09:06 Reflections on Leadership and Service
09:54 Unexpected Career Path and Surface Warfare
15:04 Leading Earthquake Relief in Pakistan
19:10 Building a Humanitarian Task Force
24:14 Navigating Crisis and Leadership Lessons
32:04 End Game: Strategic Planning and Execution
35:07 Military Influence in Pakistan
35:29 Anecdotes from Bab N Abad
36:41 Building Relationships in Pakistan
39:44 The Bin Laden Raid
42:36 Post-Raid Reflections
44:00 Geopolitical Challenges and Operations
53:14 Leadership and Mentorship
55:20 High-Performance Training
57:44 Current Endeavors and Reflections
01:02:02 Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts