Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share A Green Beret's First-Hand Account of Operation Viking Hammer | Ep. 254 | Pt. 1
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
A Green Beret's First-Hand Account of Operation Viking Hammer | Ep. 254 | Pt. 1
Dive into this epic conversation on the Mike Drop Podcast with Green Beret legend Mark Giaconia. A 20-year Army veteran who traded infantry boots for Special Forces grit, Mark opens up about his raw reaction to 9/11—burning with jealousy as Fifth Group charged into Afghanistan, only to carve his own pinnacle in Iraq's brutal ops. But before the GWOT glory, he takes us back to the forgotten chaos of Bosnia in the late '90s, where peacekeeping turned into high-stakes intel gathering: embedding in remote villages, renting houses amid fresh war scars, and dodging tense standoffs with Serbian cops who grabbed their weapons at the sight of an American.
From concealed pistols and civilian rides to wild encounters—like spotting a Beirut bombing fugitive in a roadside eatery or monitoring Russian convoys on the brink of World War III—Mark's stories pulse with the raw edge of undercover life in a powder keg. We geek out on metal shredding (check Patreon for the deep dive), philosophy from Socrates to Nietzsche, and his time-travel wish to homestead in colonial Connecticut. Whether it's surviving Ranger School's 200+ day grind, losing 40 pounds in the suck, or bonding with locals over slivovitz amid genocide echoes, this episode hooks you with unfiltered warrior wisdom, historical twists, and the unexamined life's brutal truths.
Don't miss Mark's insights on human nature, founding principles, and why the Balkans' hospitality hides a world of shadows—perfect fuel for any Mike Drop fan craving real talk from the front lines.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
View all episodes
By Mike Ritland
4.9
63296,329 ratings
Dive into this epic conversation on the Mike Drop Podcast with Green Beret legend Mark Giaconia. A 20-year Army veteran who traded infantry boots for Special Forces grit, Mark opens up about his raw reaction to 9/11—burning with jealousy as Fifth Group charged into Afghanistan, only to carve his own pinnacle in Iraq's brutal ops. But before the GWOT glory, he takes us back to the forgotten chaos of Bosnia in the late '90s, where peacekeeping turned into high-stakes intel gathering: embedding in remote villages, renting houses amid fresh war scars, and dodging tense standoffs with Serbian cops who grabbed their weapons at the sight of an American.
From concealed pistols and civilian rides to wild encounters—like spotting a Beirut bombing fugitive in a roadside eatery or monitoring Russian convoys on the brink of World War III—Mark's stories pulse with the raw edge of undercover life in a powder keg. We geek out on metal shredding (check Patreon for the deep dive), philosophy from Socrates to Nietzsche, and his time-travel wish to homestead in colonial Connecticut. Whether it's surviving Ranger School's 200+ day grind, losing 40 pounds in the suck, or bonding with locals over slivovitz amid genocide echoes, this episode hooks you with unfiltered warrior wisdom, historical twists, and the unexamined life's brutal truths.
Don't miss Mark's insights on human nature, founding principles, and why the Balkans' hospitality hides a world of shadows—perfect fuel for any Mike Drop fan craving real talk from the front lines.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More shows like Mike Drop
View all
Afford Anything
3,550 Listeners
Mark Levin Podcast
23,241 Listeners
Red Eye Radio
1,268 Listeners
The BOB & TOM Show Free Podcast
1,163 Listeners
Jim Rome's Daily Jungle
991 Listeners
The Chris Plante Show
1,780 Listeners
Team Never Quit
5,955 Listeners
Cleared Hot
10,935 Listeners
Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum
10,213 Listeners
The Jim Rome Podcast
2,970 Listeners
The Jim Rome Show
732 Listeners
The Shawn Ryan Show
45,558 Listeners
The Team House
1,644 Listeners
Black Rifle Coffee Podcast
3,291 Listeners
Mike Force Podcast
2,404 Listeners
Combat Story
1,277 Listeners
The Jack Carr Channel
54 Listeners
SOGCast: Untold Stories of MAC V SOG
1,809 Listeners
The Benny Show
2,254 Listeners
Talk Ville
2,940 Listeners
The Operator With Rob O’Neill
1,237 Listeners
America At Night with McGraw Milhaven
87 Listeners
Change Agents with Andy Stumpf
642 Listeners
The Resilient Show
338 Listeners
The Antihero Broadcast
594 Listeners
America In The Morning
19 Listeners
Liberty Risk
37 Listeners
U.S. Soccer Podcast
53 Listeners
The Musers The Podcast
771 Listeners
Topical Fruit
3 Listeners
Next Role with Vernon Davis
2 Listeners
Family Matters
8 Listeners
Tier1 Podcast
152 Listeners