From Kosovo’s Russian Alliances to 9/11’s Aftermath: A Green Beret’s Covert Infiltration and Combat Operations in the Early Iraq War | Ep. 254 | Pt. 2

Mike Drop

Mike Ritland

Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Documentary, Politics, News

4.9 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this gripping second part of Episode 254 of the Mike Drop podcast, host Mike Ritland sits down with former Green Beret Mark Gianconia to explore his extraordinary career in special operations. Unlike many post-9/11 operators, Mark’s journey began in Kosovo, working alongside Russian forces in a vastly different operational landscape. Returning just before the 9/11 attacks, Mark shares his visceral reaction to the tragedy and how it propelled his unit into action. This episode takes you deep into his covert missions in Iraq, including the daring Advanced Force Operations (AFO) infil via rental cars from Turkey and the intense Operation Viking Hammer against terrorist strongholds like Ansar al-Islam. Expect raw, firsthand accounts of unconventional warfare, coordination with Kurdish allies, and the chaos of combat in the early days of the Iraq War. From dodging mortar fire to orchestrating airstrikes, Mark’s stories offer a vivid window into the high-stakes world of special forces during a pivotal moment in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:29.6	All right, so you got back from Kosovo just before 9-11, and it's interesting, you know,
0:35.6	your career comparative to a lot of other special operations
0:39.8	guys on here that either started post-9-11 or maybe right before, or even if they did things
0:46.4	before, it was very relative to Middle East CENTCOM.
0:50.9	You having such a kind of a disparate difference, spending so much time in Kosovo and working
0:56.1	with Russian forces and being in a very different operational environment, getting home
1:01.4	right before 9-11, 9-11 kicks off.
1:04.0	One, I'm curious, can you walk us through when you heard about 9-11 and how that directly impacted your unit?
1:12.6	And then operationally kind of walk us through your time there, having spent time in the early years of the G-WAT.
1:20.6	Yeah. So it was...
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