Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for The Spear
The Spear · November 5 · 53 min

Reflections on Being First In

Editor's Note: In conjuction with the pending publication of the latest edition of the Modern War Journal, Relections on Security Force Assistance and the Afghan War, we are re-releasing this episode, which was first published on September 14, 2022. In 2001, Scott Neil was already an experienced Green Beret assigned to 5th Special Forces Group and preparing to deploy again to the Middle East. The events of 9/11 changed the nature of that deployment and directly impacted Scott. Within weeks, he became part of the legendary Horse Soldiers who led some of the opening operations in America’s war in Afghanistan. While theirs is a well-known story, Scott’s career did not stop there. The following years saw him deploy multiple times in support of the Global War on Terrorism. In this episode of The Spear, he reflects on twenty-five years of service, the battles that shaped him, and his evolving role as a leader, mentor, and soldier. From occupying a foxhole in Panama as a young private to being wounded for a third time in Iraq to serving as the senior enlisted advisor to an interagency task for with US Special Operations Command, Scott’s career was consistently one of transition and growth.

0:00 · Intro and Combat Montage-53:57
Play in
Transcript file

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

Editor's Note: In conjuction with the pending publication of the latest edition of the Modern War Journal, Relections on Security Force Assistance and the Afghan War, we are re-releasing this episode, which was first published on September 14, 2022.

In 2001, Scott Neil was already an experienced Green Beret assigned to 5th Special Forces Group and preparing to deploy again to the Middle East. The events of 9/11 changed the nature of that deployment and directly impacted Scott. Within weeks, he became part of the legendary Horse Soldiers who led some of the opening operations in America’s war in Afghanistan. While theirs is a well-known story, Scott’s career did not stop there. The following years saw him deploy multiple times in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

In this episode of The Spear, he reflects on twenty-five years of service, the battles that shaped him, and his evolving role as a leader, mentor, and soldier. From occupying a foxhole in Panama as a young private to being wounded for a third time in Iraq to serving as the senior enlisted advisor to an interagency task for with US Special Operations Command, Scott’s career was consistently one of transition and growth.

links2

chapters

29 chapters

more episodes

All episodes