Inside Delta Force: Afghanistan, Syria & the War on ISIS | Brent Tucker (throwback ep)

August 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Brent Tucker grew up in Sanford, Florida, working at his grandfather's farm and garden center with no intention of leaving his small town. He was a quiet kid, not an adrenaline junkie. On September 11, 2001, he was 20 years old. "I didn't want to live a life with regrets," he says. "When I was 70 years old, looking back and said, 'Man, when I was 20, our country got attacked, almost 3,000 people died and I felt like I should have done something, but I just played it safe and stayed in my small town.'" That line of thinking started everything. On September 27, he signed the paperwork, intending to do four years and come right back. Instead, he spent 20 years in Army Special Operations, serving in 20th Special Forces Group and then Delta Force, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

From Stinger Missiles to Green Berets

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What you'll learn

1 (02:05) **Introduction & Guest Background** - Jack Murphy introduces Brent Tucker, a 20-year Army Special Operations veteran who served in 20th Special Forces Group and Delta Force, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
2 (05:41) **Enlistment, Air Defense, and Finding Special Forces** - Tucker enlisted into the National Guard air defense artillery, realizing he’d never see combat as a Stinger missile operator in the War on Terror.
3 (16:55) **SF Qualification and Dive School** - After selection, Tucker was assigned as an 18 Echo (Communications Sergeant), which he wasn’t thrilled about due to the longer Q Course.
4 (36:52) **Afghanistan: Valley Clearing Operations with Commandos** - Tucker’s 20th Group dive team partnered with Afghan Commandos for valley clearing operations, which were grueling but effective.
5 (44:07) **Operation Bulldog Bite: Rescuing a Hemmed-Up Unit** - Tucker’s team was called to rescue a conventional unit that was pinned down with double-digit casualties after a valley clearing operation went wrong.
6 (55:04) **The Cost of Indecision and a Goat Story** - After linking up, the rescued unit was shell-shocked and refused to move to the high ground for a tactical advantage, preferring to stay in the valley.
7 (62:51) **Operation Rockstar: Clearing a Valley the System Ignored** - A National Guard unit at a small base (Cotton Jill) told Tucker they were “just waiting to die” from nightly attacks, unable to get air support or approval for operations.

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Show Notes

Brent Tucker, a 20-year Army Special Operations veteran, takes us through his path from the National Guard and 20th Special Forces Group to Delta Force, including combat in Afghanistan and Syria, getting shot on a mission, and fighting ISIS. He also discusses Delta selection and training, working alongside the SAS, the physical toll of two decades at war, and his life after the military.

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00:00 – Start
02:28 – Growing Up & Joining the Army After 9/11
09:48 – Fighting to Get Into 20th Special Forces Group
16:28 – Becoming an 18 Echo Green Beret
23:22 – Bolivia & Getting Sent to Combat Diver School
29:25 – Surviving the Hardest Military School of His Career
36:32 – Afghanistan With the Commandos
43:57 – Operation Bulldog Bite & Rescuing Pinned-Down U.S. Soldiers
1:02:29 – A Desperate Call for Help From an Isolated Combat Outpost
1:09:14 – Operation Rockstar & Clearing an Enemy-Held Valley
1:19:12 – Trying Out for Delta Force & Failing Selection
1:26:58 – Making Delta & Going Through OTC
1:35:43 – Delta Force Deployments & Getting Shot
1:39:53 – Fighting ISIS in Syria
1:46:56 – Extreme Long-Range Sniping Against ISIS
1:52:36 – The Battle for Raqqa & Returning to HVT Raids
1:58:00 – The Deaths of John Dunbar & SAS Operator Matt Tonroe
2:04:04 – Injuries, Memory Problems & Knowing It Was Time to Retire
2:08:21 – Delta Force Q&A: Selection, Squadron Culture, DEVGRU & SAS
2:17:03 – Life After Delta & Training SWAT Teams
2:21:02 – Starting First Responder Coffee Company
2:24:33 – The Anti-Hero Podcast
2:26:26 – The Rob O’Neill / Bin Laden Controversy
2:29:41 – Giving First Responders a Platform
2:32:55 – Closing Thoughts

original air date 9/22/23

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