The Dead Warrior Society

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The Dead Warrior Society

Zachary Masek

35 episodes

2 weeks ago

In this episode of Dead Warrior Society, we dive deep into the origins of Unconventional Warfare (UW) through the lens of one of America’s earliest masters of chaos—Francis Marion, the legendary Swamp Fox. Before there was doctrine, there was instinct—and Marion’s instinct was insurgency. We break down how his campaigns during the Revolutionary War, especially the raids at Black Mingo and Tearcoat Swamp, reveal timeless principles of guerrilla warfare that still echo in modern U.S. Army UW do...

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In this episode of Dead Warrior Society, we dive deep into the origins of Unconventional Warfare (UW) through the lens of one of America’s earliest masters of chaos—Francis Marion, the legendary Swamp Fox. Before there was doctrine, there was instinct—and Marion’s instinct was insurgency. We break down how his campaigns during the Revolutionary War, especially the raids at Black Mingo and Tearcoat Swamp, reveal timeless principles of guerrilla warfare that still echo in modern U.S. Army UW do...

Show more...

Episodes (20/35)

The Dead Warrior Society

The Master of Chaos: Francis Marion's Raid at Black Mingo and Tearcoat Swamp

In this episode of Dead Warrior Society, we dive deep into the origins of Unconventional Warfare (UW) through the lens of one of America’s earliest masters of chaos—Francis Marion, the legendary Swamp Fox. Before there was doctrine, there was instinct—and Marion’s instinct was insurgency. We break down how his campaigns during the Revolutionary War, especially the raids at Black Mingo and Tearcoat Swamp, reveal timeless principles of guerrilla warfare that still echo in modern U.S. Army UW do...

2 weeks ago

55 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

FIRST STRIKE: The Swamp Fox and his Guerrillas Raid Sumter's Plantation

In this episode, we uncover the daring exploits of Francis Marion, the legendary “Swamp Fox” of the American Revolution. Known for his mastery of guerrilla warfare in the swamps of South Carolina, Marion led a small, determined band of Patriots who struck fear into the British with swift, unexpected attacks. Our story centers on the Raid at Sumter's Plantation, where Marion and his men launched a surprise assault on an abandoned plantation house being used by the British as a holding site fo...

3 weeks ago

44 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Birth of The Swamp Fox: The Early Life and Exploits of Francis Marion

In this episode of the Dead Warrior Society Podcast, we dive deep into the life, legend, and legacy of Francis Marion, better known as the "Swamp Fox." Far more than just a cunning guerrilla fighter, Marion's story is one of faith, conviction, and transformation through conflict. We begin with his early life in the backcountry of South Carolina, examining the religious and moral foundations that shaped his worldview. From his formative experience as a young lieutenant in the brutal Cherokee ...

1 month ago

1 hour 12 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Fort Bragg Cartel: The Grift That Keeps On Grifting

In this episode, we dive deep into Seth Harp’s new exposé on what he calls the “Fort Bragg Cartel.” The book offers a sweeping, revisionist take on American history and the U.S. military’s involvement in the Middle East, with a particular focus on JSOC’s operations both at home and abroad. Harp paints a damning picture of systemic immorality among American GIs, using the murder of Will Lavgin, Leshikar, and Dumas as a narrative Trojan Horse to advance his central thesis: that the United Stat...

1 month ago

51 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

El Cid: At War With Everyone

After King Alfonso VI is defeated by the Almoravids, he pardons El Cid in hopes of forming new alliances. But within a year, Rodrigo is exiled once again—estranged from his king and cast back into the wilderness. Refusing to serve another Christian or Muslim lord, El Cid chooses a new path: to serve only himself. He wages war on all sides—against Alfonso VI, local Christian rulers, and the invading Almoravid forces from North Africa. Meanwhile, Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Emir of the Almoravids, lau...

1 month ago

1 hour 21 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

ISLAM STRIKES BACK: El Cid in Exile and the Invasion of the Almoravids

In this explosive episode, we dive into the legendary tale of El Cid, the exiled Castilian knight whose sword may be sidelined, but whose legacy is anything but forgotten. While El Cid is holding the northeastern flank in Zaragoza, Alfonso VI takes center stage, leading a brilliant and strategic expansion of Christian borders — including the historic conquest of Toledo. But the Reconquista is far from one-sided. Alarmed by Christian advances, the Taifa King of Seville and key Islamic religio...

2 months ago

58 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Lion of Castile: El Cid's Path to Power

In this episode of the DWS podcast, we go back and examine not only El Cid’s early military career in more detail but also analyze and unpack the politically fraught situation that would inevitably led to Civil War between the Castilian royal family. El Cid is a vassal, friend, and battlefield comrade to King Sancho, the eldest brother. Because of his natural and deadly talent, Rodrigo Diaz earns the name “Campeador” and nearly everyone across the Iberian has heard of his military exploits an...

3 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

El Cid: A Medieval Soldier of Fortune

Welcome back to The Dead Warrior Society, the podcast where history’s fiercest fighters live again. In this episode, we dive into the early life and legendary exploits of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar—better known as El Cid. From his rise through the ranks of Castilian nobility to his battlefield brilliance and uneasy alliances with both Christian and Muslim rulers, El Cid's story is as complex as it is iconic. But this isn't just a tale of swords and sieges. Throughout the episode, we explore the b...

3 months ago

1 hour 17 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The First True Crusaders: Spain’s Relentless War Against Islam and Al-Andalus

In this episode we discuss when the Crusades first started. Although it is a complicated concept, we dive into the intimate details of what prompted Christan peoples to take up the Cross and wage war against Islamic forces not just in the Holy Lands but really, all across the Mediterranean basin. Despite what historians claim the process of Crusading began as early as the mid 8th century and continued onward for hundreds of years.

4 months ago

43 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Rise and Fall of the Umayyad Dynasty in Al Andalus

In this episode of the Dead Warrior Society podcast, we explore the remarkable yet brief rise and fall of the Umayyad Caliphate in Al-Andalus. Once centered in the magnificent city of Córdoba, the Caliphate was hailed by contemporaries as the crown jewel of the early medieval world—rivalling imperial centers such as Rome, Alexandria, and Baghdad. Historians often describe it as a beacon of cultural sophistication, economic vitality, and religious tolerance, particularly toward the Christian ...

4 months ago

1 hour 34 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

SHOCK AND AWE: The Islamic Invasion and Conquest of Visigothic-Roman Spain

In this first installment of our series on the Reconquest of Spain, we set the stage for one of the most defining struggles in European and World history—the fight to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula by the indigenous Catholic Hispanic-Roman peoples. We delve into who these people were before the invasion: a tapestry of Romanized Christian cultures rooted in centuries of Hispano-Roman tradition. Then, we examine the sudden and forceful Islamic incursion from North Africa in 711 AD—an invasion m...

4 months ago

52 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

How to Become a Historian

In this episode of the Dead Warrior Society, I discuss how I went from being a piss poor student who barely graduated high school to eventually getting a degree in History from an Ivy League University. Throughout my journey I made numerous errors but eventually I figured out an algorithm that worked well and helped me not only learn the material but absorb it and come up with new creative arguments to push back against my professors, historians, and other intellectuals. Here I will te...

5 months ago

21 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

Snake Eaters, Gunslingers & Outcasts: The Suppressed 73 Year History of Special Forces Green Berets

In this episode, we explore 73 years of U.S. Army Special Forces from their inception in 1952 to modern-day operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. We start at the beginning, breaking down why the Green Berets were formed in the early Cold War era, initially as an elite unconventional warfare force. But as the threat of Soviet-sponsored communist insurgencies spread globally, the Green Berets shifted into the role of Counter Insurgency (COIN) specialists—a role that would define them for decades....

5 months ago

1 hour 39 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

Are Green Berets the Masters of Unconventional Warfare? History says, no (Part I)

In this episode of the Dead Warrior Society Podcast, we take a hard look at the roots of Unconventional Warfare (UW) in the annals of American military history and what it really meant in the post–World War II era and how its legacy has been shaped, stretched, and sometimes distorted over time. Green Berets have long claimed the title of “masters of UW”, pointing to missions in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and beyond as proof. But does the historical record back that up? Not exactly. We dive into ...

6 months ago

30 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

What Are Special Operations?

In this episode, I dive deep into the question: What exactly are Special Operations? To unpack this, I turn to one of the most influential voices on the subject—Admiral William H. McRaven (ret). Using his 1996 dissertation and his well-known book, Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare: Theory and Practice, I explore the six core principles McRaven outlines for successful special operations missions. Instead of relying on the case studies McRaven uses in his book, I apply his f...

6 months ago

46 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Slow Death of US Army Special Forces

In this episode we discuss the legacy of Robert Rogers within the frame work of modern Special Operations. We also leverage his history to highlight and provide insight on the slow and depressing decay and inevitable death of modern U.S. Army Special Forces as more proficient, skilled, and well funded Special Operations Units or "Special Mission Units" outpace their peers and monopolize all available Asymmetrical Warfare missions.

6 months ago

26 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

Crisis in US Army Special Forces?

The Green Berets—once the undisputed masters of Unconventional Warfare—are now facing a crossroads. Once revered for their deep cultural fluency, guerrilla warfare expertise, and behind-the-lines operations, many in the defense community are now asking: What went wrong? While Special Forces continue to fly the UW banner, the hard truth is that other units—often leaner, better-resourced, and more agile—have quietly taken over many of the missions SF was designed for. Is it a matter of doctrin...

6 months ago

11 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

Robert Rogers: Hero or Villain?

In this episode we briefly discuss the exfiltration out of Canada by the Rangers after the destruction of St. Francis. Unlike the other legs of the expedition, the exfil was an unmitigated disaster. However, the meat of the episode is focused on answering two major questions every Rogers historian seeks to answer. Was the Raid on St. Francis a success or failure and was it a legitimate military operation or massacre?

6 months ago

35 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Rangers Raid on St. Francis

Welcome to this episode of the Dead Warrior Society Podcast, where we dive deep into the infamous Raid on St. Francis, led by Robert Rogers and his Rangers. While this event has been widely discussed in history, many accounts of the raid are riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. In this episode, we explore how the common narrative is seriously flawed and take the time to scrutinize the historical record, digging into primary sources and lesser-known details to uncover the true events ...

7 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

The Dead Warrior Society

The Rangers Invade Canada and the Battle on Snowshoes

In this episode of the Dead Warrior Society Podcast, we dive into the incredible journey of Robert Rogers and his Ranger Task Force as they face unimaginable challenges during their mission across the wilderness of Lake Champlain, a treacherous spruce bog, and the St. Francis River en route to destroy the Abenaki Village of St. Francis. As they are relentlessly hunted by their French and Indian enemies, many Rangers lose their lives or are forced to return to base due to illness and injuries....

7 months ago

58 minutes