Two Star General with Bipolar Disorder Who Engineered the Push into Baghdad | Major General (Ret) Gregg Martin, PhD

This episode is brought to you by DeleteMe. Go to www.joindeleteme.com/combat and use the code COMBAT to get 20% off your plan and keep your personal information online secure. ======= Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!  This is a unique Combat Story with a Gregg Martin, a retired Two Star Army General who has two Combat Stories: one about fighting in uniform that included engineering the US military’s push into Iraq in 2003 and another that involved battling bipolar disorder for years. Gregg was one of the highest achievers you can imagine as he road a wave of hyperthymia (a near continual state of mild-mania with abnormally high levels of energy, enthusiasm, and positivity that helped him graduate West Point, complete Ranger School, get a Masters and PhD from MIT, successfully command at multiple levels in the Army, while being an active leader in his community.  Eventually, during the euphoria of leading combined operations in Iraq in 2003, Gregg had what he describes as the onset of his bipolar disorder that manifested as times of mania followed by bouts of depression until, after attained the rank of two star general, he was relieved of command. Gregg’s book has just come out and is aptly titled “Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness” that goes into detail about his military experience and career alongside the mental health challenges he faced. I hope you enjoy this insightful interview with a retired General who has successfully managed bipolar disorder for several years as much as I did. ======= Find Ryan Online: - Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats... - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle Find Ryan Rogers Online: - Website: https://www.generalgreggmartin.com - Book Bipolar General: https://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-General-Forever-Illness-Association/dp/1682473805  ======= Show Notes: 00:00 - Intro  00:49 - Guest Introduction (Gregg Martin) 02:03 - Interview begins 02:35 - Traits of a General 05:37 - Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder 18:04 - PTSD to Bipolar Disorder 21:02 - Family Military history 25:30 - Engineer Corps.  27:02 - 5 year mark commitment 28:10 - Time at MIT 33:15 - Pre 9/11 Military experience 39:23 - Signs of Mania during enlistment 43:01 - DeleteMe Ad 44:06 - Time at Army War College 45:30 - Bipolar Disorder and Genetics 56:40 - Time in Germany during war time 49:24 - Mission set for Engineer Corps. 58:23 - Bridges to Baghdad  01:06:26 - Average day in Iraq 01:16:10 - Onset of Bipolar disorder during Ops. 01:20:46 - Challenging moments 01:26:13 - Differences in character coming home 01:29:18 - Being Relieved 01:53:14 - Life with medication 01:54:29 - Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness 01:54:50 - Sentimental items 01:55:32 - Would you do it all again? 01:56:37 - Closing thoughts 01:57:33 - Listener comments and shout outs