481: Deeds. Not Words. With Airborne Ranger, Will Bardenwerper

Will Bardenwerper's journey from a suburban upbringing to Princeton University, and then to the battlefields of Iraq, highlights his ambitious nature and a strong sense of duty that eventually diverged from the traditional finance career path.

Bardenwerper Grew Up In Suburban Washington D.C., Attended Catholic Schools, and Excelled In High School

Will Bardenwerper, the oldest of five children, grew up in a middle-class, upper-middle-class suburban area outside Washington DC, in Bethesda, Maryland. His father was a lawyer, and his mother, a busy parent raising five kids. Will attended a Catholic elementary school taught by nuns, which he recalls fondly, and an all-male Catholic Jesuit high school in Washington D.C. He remembers working hard in school due to his parents' influence, with a particular fondness for history and English, fostering his love of reading.

Driven Bardenwerper Prioritized Studies Over Social Life For Ivy League Admission

Will did not settle for a mediocre education; instead, he was driven to succeed academically. During his high school years, he sacrificed socializing for studying, dedicating three hours a day to ensure his admission to an Ivy League university, a goal he achieved through sheer determination.

Bardenwerper Attended Princeton University, Playing Baseball

Bardenwerper was the first in his family to attend an Ivy League university. He competed for top grades and was admitted to Princeton University, where he also played baseball. He was driven by a competitive nature and the desire to excel, not just academically but also in sports, even as he recognized his limitations in some areas like basketball.

After graduating from Princeton without a clear career plan, Bardenwerper took a year off to be a "ski bum" in Vail with friends, taking a break before embarking on his career journey.

After Princeton Graduation, Bardenwerper Worked In Finance In Nyc Before Joining the Army

Bardenwerper eventually moved to New York City to work in equity capital markets, taking advantage of the booming economy of the late '90s—an opportunity presented to many Princeton graduates at t ...

Will Bardenwerper's time in Iraq was marked by close engagement with both military and civilian leaders, illustrating key leadership styles, the challenges soldiers face, and the importance of understanding local communities.

Bardenwerper Was a Public Affairs Officer in Iraq, Engaging With Military and Civilian Leaders

Bardenwerper served as a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in Iraq, a role typically held by an army major, but he was assigned the position as he was a "Princeton guy" in the brigade. His duties encompassed showing media around the battlefield and handling civil affairs, working toward dampening the insurgency through various projects. He teamed up with Captain Travis Martinez to bridge the gap between the military and the local Iraqi communities.

Bardenwerper and Colonel Mcfarland: A Leadership Style of Adaptability and Listening To Junior Officers

Jocko Willink highlights Colonel McFarland's adaptability, applauding his approach of learning from strategies already successful in Tal Afar instead of trying to impose his own. McFarland welcomed effective tactics and was humble, not letting ego interfere with decision-making. Bardenwerper held Colonel McFarland in high esteem, particularly for seeing potential in Travis Martinez, an unconventional officer who didn’t fit the typical mold but had a significant "spark" for the mission. Building relationships with tribal leaders involved time and patience, including spending hours just sitting together, eating, and smoking.

Bardenwerper Teamed With Captain Travis Martinez to Bridge the Military-Local Iraqi Communities Gap

Captain Travis Martinez was recognized for his unconventional thinking, creating a strategy that proved successful in Al Anbar. Despite his appearance and lax attitude toward certain military regulations, he had a critical on-the-ground impact in Iraq, facilitated by Colonel McFarland's support of flatter organizational structures. Efforts like getting an Iraqi police station manned by tribesmen, who contributed critical local knowledge for security, demonstrate Martinez's initiatives. He also created a widely circulated educational slideshow on overcoming insurgency. Despite his combat readiness, Martinez supported better marksmanship training, showing his multifaceted approaches to the mission.

Bardenwerper Saw the Challenges and Sacrifices of Soldiers in Iraq, Including Intense Operations and the Toll on Them and Their Families

Bardenwerper observed the challenges and sacrifices that soldiers experienced firsthand, such as intense operations that could turn even the most innocuous missions into dangerous encounters. He remembers a distinguished service cross and silver stars awarded for heroism that exemplified the constant danger soldiers faced. Nearly a third of his battalion was wounded, demonstrating the heavy toll of conflict.

Bardenwerper' ...

After his time in the Army, Will Bardenwerper embarked on a new path, choosing to pursue writing over a career in policy-making or journalism. His journey culminated in the publication of his first book, "The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein, His American Guards, and What History Leaves Unsaid."

After the Army, Bardenwerper Pursued Writing, Worked As a News Assistant, and Enrolled In Graduate School

Bardenwerper contemplates the influence he could wield over policy decision-making post-military, leading him to enroll in graduate school at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Concurrently, he worked as a news assistant and sought advice from CJ Chivers, a New York Times correspondent with a similar background, leading him into an unofficial apprenticeship at the Times.

During his graduate studies, Bardenwerper gained a broad foundation in international relations and was exposed to government roles through professors with government experience, as well as the Presidential Management Fellowship program. He found, however, that the job involved mundane tasks and advancement required political networking, which was not in line with his goals or personality.

Bardenwerper's First Book, "The Prisoner in His Palace," Required Navigating Publishing and Honing Storytelling Skills

Transitioning to writing full-time, Bardenwerper moved to Colorado and dove into the project that would become his first book, "The Prisoner in His Palace." The story is based on interviews with soldiers who guarded Saddam Hussein, which Bardenwerper found while working as an assistant during graduate school. He was drawn to the guards' complex and peculiar relationships with Hussein, noting how they began liking him despite his notoriety.

Bardenwerper's writing process was not without hurdles. He sent his early chapters to an editor, only to receive a detailed critique that he had violated every rule of storyte ...

In his work, Bardenwerper delves into the depth of human experience, contrasting mythic American institutions' status against their grounded realities, with a particular focus on the sports community and military life.

Bardenwerper Explores the Mythic Status vs. Reality of American Institutions

Bardenwerper's "Homestand" on Community Sports' Uniting Power

In the realm of sports, Bardenwerper’s "Homestand" emerges as a poignant exploration of the uniting power of community sports, juxtaposed against the business-centric management of professional leagues. The Major League Baseball decision to cut minor league teams, saving money at the expense of local connections, signifies this dissonance. This action spurred Bardenwerper to question the values of the sport, which markets itself as America’s pastime, integral in bringing people together, yet operates under a contrasting business model that can negatively impact communities.

During a visit to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, originally there to cover tribal law enforcement, Bardenwerper became intrigued by a community-involved horse riding sport. This sport, rooted in skill and strategy, proved more energizing to the community than established events like the Kentucky Derby. His experience in Batavia, New York, with the dynamic of a town that had lost its minor league team but found rebirth in a summer collegiate team, provided fertile ground for his book, solidifying the theme of sports as a cornerstone of community.

Bardenwerper reminisces about his backyard baseball games, which, in memory, become more potent over time, echoing the soul of America found in these community experiences. Jocko Willink describes "Homestand" as a love story to baseball and America, a narrative that confronts how greed can corrupt but also how the spirit of community sports triumphs.

Bardenwerper's Iraq Experiences Reveal the Military-Civilian Disconnect and Emphasize Human Connections Over Digital Distractions

The experiences shared in Bardenwerper’s book, "The Prisoner in His Palace," suggest a disconnect between military perceptions and the raw humanity that emerges from personal relations. These relationships, cultivated face to face, can transcend digital distractions and bureaucratic barriers. Willink himself reflects on his service in Iraq, noting the experiential disparity between soldiers and civilians, underscoring the necessity to recognize the lives of those in service.

Bardenwerper's discourse on military challenges in Iraq underlines the importance of honest rapport which could transcend the digital realm. He discusses the role of trust-building with Iraqi tribes, highlighting its importance to operational success and its indicative nature of the human connection that digital means cannot replicate.

His work exposes the tension of senior military roles entangled in politics. Bardenwerper illustrates the military-civilian disconnect and champions the significance of genuine human connection, reinforced by his observation of young soldiers' changing perceptions of Saddam Hussein through personal interaction.

Bardenwerper's Writing Values Face-To-face Interactions and Shared Experiences to Bridge Divides and Foster Understanding

Bardenwerper stresses the importance of immersive storytelling and the cultivation of trust within communities. His commitment to more than just surface-level engagement exemplifies his stance against narratives th ...