Inside Military Intel in WW2 | Tim Scherrer | Ep. 395

The Team House

dee takos

History, Government, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 89 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this conversation, Tim Shearer shares his extensive background in military intelligence, detailing his journey from Quincy, Illinois, to becoming a counterintelligence officer in the Army Reserve. He discusses his experiences during Desert Storm, his time at TransCom during the Gulf War, and the impact of 9/11 on his military career. Shearer also reflects on his transition to teaching and writing, culminating in his latest book, 'Spy Catchers, Interrogators, and Analysts,' which explores lesser-known aspects of military intelligence during World War II.

00:00 Introduction to Tim Shearer and His Background
02:47 Military Journey: From Quincy to the Army
05:48 Becoming an Officer: ROTC Experience
08:59 First Experiences in the Army Reserve
11:53 Counterintelligence Operations in Iceland
14:47 Desert Storm: Mobilization and Experiences
17:44 Working at TransCom During the Gulf War
20:50 Post-Gulf War Experiences and Company Command
23:49 Transitioning to Teaching and Writing
26:39 The Impact of 9/11 on Military Service
29:54 Intelligence Operations and the War on Terror
32:54 Writing Career: From History to Military Intelligence
35:39 Spy Catchers, Interrogators, and Analysts: The New Book
38:52 Reflections on Military Service and Legacy

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Team House with your host, Jack Murphy and David Park.
0:11.3	Hey, everyone. My name's Jack Murphy. This is The Team House. I'm here tonight with our guest, Tim Shear.
0:17.4	He served as an Army counterintelligence section chief, amongst other positions that he
0:22.0	held, service in Desert Storm and elsewhere. He's also the author of spy catchers, interrogators,
0:29.1	and analysts, tactical U.S. Army military intelligence in World War II. I was just looking
0:34.4	through this the other day while it's here in the office.
0:39.0	It's super cool.
0:46.4	I mean, if you're interested in World War II era military intelligence, you're definitely going to want to have this book on your shelf.
0:49.0	Tim, thank you for joining us tonight.
0:51.3	Yeah, thanks for having me.
0:52.7	I'm very humble to be here. And, yeah, I was, I had a variety of jobs when I was in. Again, I was an Army Reserve counterintelligence guy and I was mobed for Desert Storm stateside and also 9-11. So I don't want people to think I'm trying to oversell myself.
1:09.3	Well, tell us a little bit about that, you know, sort of the process that
1:13.2	you took towards joining the Army. Yeah, I grew up in Quincy, Illinois. So if you're not
1:20.5	familiar with where Quincy is, if Illinois was a pregnant woman, Quincy would be the belly button.
1:25.9	So we're just right across the Missouri,
1:28.1	or the Mississippi River from Missouri. So I basically grew up in the same home,
1:34.0	came into that home as a baby until I graduated. So I was always interested in the military.
1:40.2	And my mom would take us to the library. And they had these CB Colby books like equipment of the Cold War,
1:49.4	weapons of World War II, things like that.
1:52.5	You know, and I remember opening that book and seeing that Davy Crockett
1:55.3	on the back of that Jeep thinking that was the coolest thing ever.
1:59.0	So, and I was always definitely interested in World War II.
	...

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