Mike Drop

The Secret Northern Front of the Iraq War: Special Forces & Kurdish Fighters | Ep. 281 | Pt. 2

In Part 2 of Episode 281 of the Mike Drop Podcast, I sit down with Special Forces veteran Mark Grecovich to break down the planning and execution behind Operation Viking Hammer. We get into working with Kurdish forces, the complications with Turkey backing out, and how Green Berets adapted on the fly to launch a high-risk mission against an Al-Qaeda–affiliated group in the mountains of northern Iraq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Operation “Viking Hammer” Was Never the Real Mission? | Ep. 281 | Pt. 1

Retired Green Beret, Mark Grdovic shares the largely untold story of what came to be known as "Operation Viking Hammer", a 2003 U.S. Army Special Forces mission in northern Iraq that targeted the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam prior to the main invasion. Working alongside Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, 10th Special Forces Group conducted a coordinated assault on entrenched enemy positions in mountainous terrain near Halabja, following Tomahawk strikes. The operation dismantled Ansar al-Islam’s stronghold and secured the Kurdish region, enabling follow-on coalition operations deeper into Iraq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Sniper’s Redemption: Therapy, Plant Medicines, and Overcoming Combat Trauma | Ep. 280 | Pt. 3

In the final part of this three-part episode of the Mike Drop Podcast, host Mike Ritland wraps up the conversation with former British Army sniper Ted Shirley. Ted shares his path to recovery from severe PTSD through civilian therapy, grounding techniques, EMDR, mindfulness, plant medicines, and years of hard work. He describes backpacking the world, rediscovering music, writing his book Afghanistan Sniper: Trauma on the Frontline and Beyond, giving mental health talks to veterans and military leaders, and reaching full remission—no longer carrying the diagnosis. A moving close full of hope, purpose, and the clear message that complete healing from combat trauma is possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Sniper's Demon: Precision Shots, Trauma, Suicide Attempts, and Life After the Front Line | Ep. 280 | Pt. 2

In this intense episode of the Mike Drop Podcast, host Mike Ritland speaks with former British Army sniper Ted Shirley about his 2009–2010 Afghanistan tour. Ted recounts mile-long confirmed kills, massive air assaults, close calls with enemy snipers, the combat high—and the brutal aftermath: severe PTSD, nightmares, aggression, addiction-like urges around killing, suicide attempts, and medical discharge. A raw, honest look at the psychological cost of being a sniper and the struggle to come home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

British Army Sniper on Who Really Killed Charlie Kirk | Ep. 280 | Pt. 1

Ted Shirley, a former British Army sniper with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and author of Afghanistan Sniper: Trauma on the Frontline and Beyond, recounts his two brutal tours in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, where he became one of the UK’s deadliest snipers. He opens up about the psychological toll of combat, including PTSD, addiction to the kill, substance abuse, and suicide attempts, and shares his perspective on the assassination of Charlie Kirk through the lens of his experience with political violence. Shirley ultimately reflects on his journey toward healing through therapy, plant medicine, and deep self-reflection, offering a raw but hopeful message about recovery after war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices