Two, Three, Four Missions a Night: Ranger Regiment at War | Will Hutson

September 2, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Will Hutson spent 21 years in the Army, from the 173rd Airborne jumping into northern Iraq during the invasion to multiple deployments with 3rd Ranger Battalion in Ramadi, Balad, and Baghdad, where his mortar platoon was running two, three, even four missions a night. But the through-line of his conversation on The Team House is not just combat—it is the long arc from a violent childhood through elite service to a hard-won recovery that required plant medicine, functional medicine, and the loss of his seven-year-old son to a brain tumor. Hutson is restrained about his own accomplishments, repeatedly describing himself as someone who never felt he belonged, but the mechanisms he describes—how the Ranger Regiment operates, how mortar sections innovate to stay relevant, how assessment and selection actually works, and how trauma compounds across a career—are precise and worth absorbing.

From the 173rd to the Regiment: The Import's Path

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Advertisements** - Optimum and Lowe's ads.
2 (02:14) **Introduction & Guest Background** - Jack Murphy introduces retired Sergeant Major Will Hutson, outlining his career from the 173rd Airborne to 3rd Ranger Battalion, RASP instructor, and the 101st.
3 (03:00) **Early Life & Motivation to Join** - Will describes a rough childhood in poverty and an early life of partying, which drove him to join the Army to avoid ending up dead or in jail. He was influenced by a childhood friend already in Ranger Battalion.
4 (07:29) **9/11 & The Invasion of Iraq** - Will was in Germany training with 2nd Ranger Battalion when 9/11 happened. He describes the surreal experience of eating surf and turf in Italy and then jumping into a muddy drop zone in Northern Iraq.
5 (13:45) **Early Iraq Deployment & First Combat** - Will details the initial mission of securing an airfield and the logistical struggles of living on a liter of water a day. He recounts his first real combat experience, shooting 60mm mortars in direct fire and having a 105mm dud land four feet from him.
6 (17:52) **Transitioning to Regiment & RASP** - After the invasion, Will put in a packet for Ranger Battalion. He describes the transition from RIP to RASP, emphasizing that RASP is an 8-week assessment and selection course designed to weed out problem soldiers before they reach the battalions.
7 (26:50) **The RASP Experience & Assessment** - Will details the assessment process, noting that the critical events are the easiest part. The real test is how soldiers handle time off and whether they can teach and lead, not just perform tasks themselves.

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Show Notes

Retired Sergeant Major Will Hudson reflects on a 21-year Army career that took him from the 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 2003 invasion of Iraq to years of combat deployments with 3rd Ranger Battalion, eventually becoming a RASP instructor, LRS company first sergeant, and operations sergeant major. He also opens up about the toll that years of war, injuries, alcohol, and retirement took on his mental health, and how faith and personal loss ultimately reshaped his life.
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00:00 – Start
00:58 – Will Hudson’s Childhood & Joining the Army
05:20 – 9/11, the 173rd & the Road to War
07:15 – Combat Jump Into Northern Iraq
15:44 – Leaving the 173rd & Trying Out for Ranger Regiment
21:35 – ROP, Selection & Earning a Spot in 3rd Ranger Battalion
27:08 – Life in 3rd Ranger Battalion’s Mortar Platoon
32:57 – Ramadi: Nonstop Ranger Raids & Heavy Combat
38:17 – Balad, IEDs & Losing Jimmy Regan
42:04 – Rangers and SEALs Fighting Together in Sadr City
48:21 – The War Shifts From Iraq to Afghanistan
54:35 – Mortars in Afghanistan & Supporting Tier One Units
57:28 – Swimming Mortars Into Targets With SEALs
1:06:23 – Becoming a Ranger Mortar Platoon Sergeant
1:11:52 – Running RASP & Changing Ranger Selection
1:23:24 – Leaving Regiment & Taking Over an LRS Company
1:33:35 – Airborne School, Pathfinder & Sergeant Major Academy
1:38:22 – The 101st Airborne, COVID & Losing the Passion fo