Jocko Podcast 523: Honor, Commitment, Sacrifice, and Faith. What It Takes to Get Through Hell. With Landon Longgrear

Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Jocko Willink (A)
Co-host: Echo Charles (B)
Guest: Landon Longgrear (C) – U.S. Marine, author of U.S. Marines at the Battle for Sangin

Episode Overview

This powerful episode centers on the experience of Landon Longgrear, a Marine who fought in the grueling Battle for Sangin, Afghanistan—one of the deadliest zones of the war. Through stories from his book and personal reflections, Landon illustrates the meaning of honor, commitment, sacrifice, and faith—shedding light on the realities of war, leadership, loss, and resilience. The conversation moves through Landon's upbringing, motivations for joining the Marines, intense combat scenarios, the cost of war, and post-war adjustment, all while focusing on what it truly takes to get through hell.

Main Themes

• Meaning of Honor and Commitment in the context of combat
• The Cost of Sacrifice—physical, psychological, and moral
• Leadership under Fire—both received and demonstrated
• Faith as Anchor in chaos and trauma
• The Lasting Impact of War—returning home and making sense of it all
• The Importance of Brotherhood and Family
• The Ongoing Need for Service and Purpose

Episode Breakdown

I. Childhood, Upbringing, and Call to Duty (04:59–13:16)

Landon's Early Life

• Grew up in Arlington, TX, in the '90s: “Probably as close to like a Sandlot childhood as anybody had been able to experience in my generation.” [05:49]
• Family history of service, but not a dominating military tradition.
• Community ethic: “The call to service was a big part of my upbringing… this wholesome Christian community… we have this… understanding that serving in the military was a part of duty.” [10:56]

The Call to Serve

• Impact of 9/11 while in 7th grade: “I remember watching the second plane hit the second tower…” [12:15]
• Sense of compulsion: “I can’t ever remember a time I really second-guessed if I wanted to serve in the military. I think that call to duty was always there as a kid.” [11:53]

II. Entering the Marines: Identity and Transformation (13:16–31:34)

The Choice to be a Marine

• Attracted to the discipline, excellence, mystique of Marines: “When I looked at Marines, I just saw the pinnacle of excellence. I thought, whatever they have, that’s what I want.” [13:53]
• Discussed other branches, but the Marine ‘brand’ and heritage won out.

Youthful Rebellion and the Search for Change

• Admits to a wild streak in high school: “I got into it [drugs and partying] and stayed in it… looking back, I’ve got some regrets from that season of life.” [18:35]
• Felt the pull of God though, always feeling “the invitation to come back.” [19:55]

Boot Camp—Breaking Down and Building Up

• Enlisted just days after high school: “June 4th, 2007, four days after my high school graduation, I boarded a nervous flight from Texas to Southern California…” [21:39]
• Parents were “shell shocked” but supportive, saw value in discipline and the cause.

Memorable Quote:
“My personal sovereignty was gone. If I was going to make it through, it was going to be on their program.” [24:33]

• Rapid realization: submit to the system and “it started getting easy… then I started thriving and it was fun from there.” [27:36]
• Achieved platoon honor man—top of his 90-man group: “I have never been more gung-ho in my life than in boot camp.” [28:47]

III. Getting to the Fight: Frustrations and Fate (31:34–42:40)

Wrong MOS, Course Corrections

• Initially landed in an MOS (electronics/radar) that didn’t fit.
• Missed several deployments due to being in the reserves and lack of seniority; deeply frustrated—“If I don’t do something, I’m going to miss out on it… I just couldn’t live with myself.” [36:23]
• Receives guidance to move to a grunt unit in Houston, pushing towards a deployment to Afghanistan.

The Pre-Deployment Workup

• Rigorous pre-deployment: “Everything escalated. We would regularly perform… 5 mile hump with 75% full gear, 100 pound plus, followed by combat patrols…” [39:54]
• Briefed by Marines who “looked weathered” from Helmand, warning of the sheer randomness and ferocity of casualties. [42:40]

IV. Leadership, Faith, and Camaraderie (44:34–55:29)

Faith in the Barracks

• Landon’s reputation as a Christian: “I determined that as much as I would be a vocal witness, I would show the love of God by my actions… No one was going to out serve me in my platoon.” [45:30]
• Quotes his grandfather’s wartime ethic: “If it was me, I would join up and save every one of those guys as I could as a part of the effort.” [45:57]

Jocko on Unit Culture:
“Can you do this job?… The way you step up and prove you’re willing to make the sacrifice is by outserving—there’s a weird mentality of sacrifice, even in destructive ways, but outworking everyone does it better.” [49:43]

The Pull of the Fight

• Assignment changes—after preparing for Delaram, they’re redirected to Sangin, Afghanistan: “It was primed to explode the moment the Marines step foot there…” [55:38]
• The strategic importance of the region—and the scale of casualties (3/5 Marines: “10 KIA and 35 additional wounded in first 3 days.”) [57:27]
• General John Kelly addresses them the day before his own son is killed in action there.

V. Into the Fire: Arrival at Sangin (65:58–93:33)

Coming to Terms with Combat and the Enemy

• Harsh indoctrination on the brutality of their enemies: “We watched 15 or 20 [beheading] videos… There is no possible way I'll allow myself to be captured alive. I will force them to kill me if I don't kill every single one of them.” [63:44]
• ROE brief shakes confidence: “It was… more concerning… than the thought of being maimed or killed… that my same government… may send me to prison. It felt like betrayal.” [65:58]

First Contact and Patrols

• Describes the operational grind and risk: “My first time outside the wire… I’d flirted with death five times…” [124:45]
• IEDs, complex ambushes, and constant threats, physical and mental toll as “nerves were shot by the end of the night.” [84:15–90:23]
• Memorable recounting of nearly being shot as point man:
  “My heart was pounding and fear hit me hard… I recited Palm 27… The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?” [109:05–117:56]

VI. The Cost: Blue on Blue and Loss (159:00–182:07)

Friendly Fire Tragedy

• Details “the worst day of the deployment,” a blue on blue Hellfire strike that killed his platoon sergeant Staff Sgt. Smith and close friend, Doc Rast—his account is raw, agonizing, and honest:
  • “It obliterated his body. I mean, he was dead on impact… the saving grace is that they didn't suffer at all. They were gone quick.” [164:51]
• Command handles aftermath with gravity and compassion; the “Man in the Arena” speech (Teddy Roosevelt) is used to reinforce their honor and effort. [172:01]

Quote from Smith’s father, Jerry:
“If he was standing in front of me... I would give him forgiveness.” [178:46]

VII. Transition and Reflection: War’s Aftermath and Moving Forward (184:59–254:59)

Mission Continues and War’s End

• The Marines are reassigned away from Sangin; deep sense of unfinished business but also relief and exhaustion.
• Emotions on returning home: “I feel achieved, but also expended… what I feel like now I am reaping from my sacrifice is just more loss. I fought in my generation’s war. I killed men who opposed me and survived their relentless attempts to kill me. I did my best… but what I mostly feel is sadness.” [205:06]

Struggles of Reentry

• Difficulty adjusting to “normal life”; “My tendencies are more rigid, my bent is more critical... I feel a little bit purposeless.” [208:05–214:09]
• Finds purpose in education, marriage, family. Leverages discipline learned in the Marines to excel in college and business (construction, development).

The Book and Its Purpose

• U.S. Marines at the Battle for Sangin drawn directly from his field journal; written to honor those who fought and died, and to share the truth of combat.
  • Some proceeds go to Hunter Seven Foundation (combat-related illness & cancer advocacy). [216:00, 219:41]

VIII. Life Lessons and Final Reflections

On War and Humanity

• “War is one of the greatest tragedies of humanity… War is inevitable because evil in the human heart is ultimately incurable in this life.” [214:12]
• “Some of the greatest attributes of humanity come out in war. But it’s ultimately in the backdrop of incredible cruelty from human on human.” [150:46]
• “To honor those that came before us, we do our part now. But to achieve that milestone… nothing matters but accomplishing the mission.” [208:05]

On Faith, Family, and Moving Forward

• “If we draw near to God, he’ll draw near to us… The freedom and connection to the bigger picture… is just offered to everyone.” [250:05]
• Emphasizes the critical role of family; deep appreciation for the sacrifices of military families. [194:53–195:07]

On Purpose Post-War

• “We honor them by living hard, living the right way now and living for purpose and making an impact. I want to be a light in this dark world.” [248:18]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What does it mean to be point man? It means I’m walking straight into it… If there ever be a time to get shot in the face, this is it. And I’m walking right into it.” [109:05]
• “My heart sunk deep into my chest, and I dropped my head in the dirt. I almost just shot a little boy.” [144:39]
• “You must almost hate your enemy, or at least devalue their humanity, which is not much better.” [214:12]
• Major Wood’s leadership after tragedy: “It’s not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” [172:01]
• On mentorship from his father: “Stay focused on what really matters and pay attention to detail. When the time comes, dish it out with no reservations and all the fury you can muster. Give them hell, son. Dad.” [98:40]
• On the brotherhood: “The military relationship in your unit… you are closer to those guys than I think any other relationship, including marriage, by nature of the way life happens together.” [211:42]

Important Timestamps

• The early patrol—entrance to Sangin: [81:38–84:17]
• First firefight and foot patrol sequence: [103:18–117:56]
• Blue-on-blue tragedy (Hellfire incident): [159:00–182:07]
• Post-deployment return and emotional reckoning: [205:06–214:12]
• Longgrear’s reflections on faith and war: [214:12–217:37]
• Final thoughts—purpose, family, and book’s impact: [250:05–254:10]

Conclusion

This episode paints an unvarnished, deeply human portrait of fighting, leading, and surviving in the harshest of circumstances. Landon’s experience and perspective offer both a tribute and a challenge—to serve with honor, to grapple with the costs, and to rebuild after trauma. The importance of family, faith, and brotherhood shines through, as does the legacy of those who did not return.

Book recommendation:
“U.S. Marines at the Battle for Sangin” by Landon Longgrear

Resources & Next Steps

• Hunter Seven Foundation: hunterseven.org
• Connect with Landon Longgrear: [LinkedIn], [Facebook], [Instagram] (encouraged to make pages public)
• Support Veteran Causes: Mama Lee’s [America’s Mighty Warriors], Heroes and Horses, Beyond the Brotherhood

Closing Poem from Longgrear’s Book:
"May their names always be remembered and their stories frequently told,
that others will emulate their example to be honorable, courageous and bold.
To the fallen but not forgotten. Fair winds and following seas.
May you enter eternal freedom. Good luck and Godspeed."

For further immersion, read the book, listen to the audiobook, and check out the full transcript for the segment most impactful to you.

Summary by Jocko Podcast Summarizer – Episode 523