Jocko Podcast 518: Six Days in Hell, And Why That Was Just Normal. With Army Ranger Crazy Joe Claburn

Date: December 10, 2025
Guest: Retired Major (then Captain) Joe “Gunfighter Six / Crazy Joe” Claburn
Host: Jocko Willink (with Echo Charles)
Episode Focus: Claburn’s journey from tough beginnings through formative Army and combat leadership—especially commanding Charlie “Gunfighter” Company, 1-506, in the Battle of Ramadi, Iraq, 2005–2006. Unfiltered accounts of daily operations, the cost of war, hard leadership lessons, and brotherhood.

Episode Overview

The episode is a deep-dive, first-person account of what it's like to lead troops in the most violent city in Iraq at the height of the insurgency. From childhood adversity to standing up a company forged from "the bottom of the barrel," Joe Claburn shares how hard-earned trust, discipline, and creative aggression became the lifeblood of survival and success. The episode is filled with unvarnished ground truth, stories of extraordinary adversity, operational and moral decision-making, and a few darkly comic moments only combat can produce. Through intimate reflection and authentic brotherhood, Joe and Jocko highlight what it takes to lead, lose, carry on, and still wonder if “enough” was ever achieved.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Upbringing, Early Hardship, and the Call to Service

[05:00–10:15]

• Joe’s formative years: Born in Maryland, raised by a single mom, periods of poverty, “sleeping in the car wasn’t normal for most people.”
• At 13, left home for Georgia to live with an Army uncle at Fort Stewart; “That’s where I became me.”
• Discovery of military roots: Grandparents were both USMC WWII veterans ([08:00])—“Maybe this is where I got it. This deep desire to serve.”
• Chose the Army after recruiter shopping largely based on practical incentives and familiarity (“college money and OCS”), becoming an officer by 20.

2. Crucible of Leadership: Early Military Experience

[11:42–14:02]

• Young lieutenant in 167th Infantry, 4th Alabama: Old-school NCOs (Vietnam vets) “forced me to do what the men did.”
  Quote:
  “If the men were under the Bradley, I got under the Bradley too… they really did instill in me the obligation I had as an officer to set the example.” ([13:09], Claburn)

• Recognizes how initial leadership shapes career DNA for good or bad; “That tracks.” ([14:02], Jocko)

3. Combat Deployments: Afghanistan & Iraq Start to Finish

[16:51–33:50]

• 9/11: Unit is America's rapid-response (DRB). Rapid-deploys for airfield seizures in Afghanistan, lead up to Operation Anaconda.

• Terrain, logistics, hostile fire: “Totally unprepared for this… we had to refuel helicopters, carry mortars, and land in freezing mountains at 13,000ft.” ([20:00], Claburn)

• First time being shot at: “I couldn’t hear the enemy fire because of the rotor wash, oblivious, and then the ground is exploding around me.” ([23:16])

• Driving through a minefield by mistake at Bagram; “From ‘Crazy Joe’ to ‘Dumb Joe’…” ([25:53])

• Iraq invasion: Planned for Afghanistan, called back (pleaded), drives with convoys to Baghdad, encounters "ghost town" after “fastest invasion in history,” but it feels “slow” on the ground ([33:43], Claburn).
  Civil-military interaction: Early moments of optimism turning quickly as occupation mismanaged.

4. Building a Band of Misfits into Gunfighter Company

[47:36–53:14]

• Tasked to stand up 4th Brigade, 1-506 (later “Gunfighters”) almost from scratch:
  • Personnel: Other units send their “bottom 10%” — “characters.”
  • Equipment: “M240 Bravo looked like it had been stored in the mud.”
  • Widespread discipline problems—drugs, DUIs, a near-criminal NCO.
  • Takes 9 months to stabilize the unit: “I will go and buy the most expensive bottle of booze if we go 3 months clean—took 9 months.” The signed empty bottle still sits in his home ([53:14]).

5. Preparation & Intelligence Failure: Sent to Ramadi Instead of Sadr City

[53:24–57:36]

• Company trains for Sadr City; in Kuwait, learns mission changed to Ramadi.
• NCOs are “black belt complainers.” Joe reassures: “It doesn’t matter where we do the mission, we’re ready.”

6. Arrival in Ramadi: “The Malab”—Into the Meat Grinder

[73:18–77:41]

• November/December 2005: Arrival at Camp Corregidor; “force protection everywhere, you knew this wasn’t a cakewalk.”
• Turnover patrols with outgoing armor company occluded by risk aversion (“we don’t go down that road”), which Joe immediately intends to challenge:
  “Well, we’re going down that goddamn street.” ([77:21], Claburn)

7. Combat Culture, Team Dynamics, & Innovative Aggression

[81:19–86:27]

• Picking the name “Gunfighters” over “Chaos Company” for its mythic, proactive resonance.
• Operational mindset:
  “I want us to be like the porcupine. Every time we roll out… I want the enemy to look at us and say, ‘Not today.’” ([85:12], Claburn)
• Drawing on psychological warfare—projecting dominance to deter attack, actively seeking ways to maintain an offensive posture.

8. Daily Fighting, Causalities, and Never-Ending Operations

[89:36–101:32, 107:09–117:45]

• “Within four months, we’d already had a handful of KIA, lots of IEDs, targeted raids… we had a huge map of the Malab and labeled every house.”

• The intense nature of contact:
  “Probably 75% of the time we left the wire, we were in contact.” ([162:15], Claburn; reinforced by Jocko’s tally of 24 straight contacts for Task Unit Bruiser)

• Operation Great White ([97:41–117:09]):

  • A proactive, ambitious attempt to “bait” IED emplacement cells, using creative, multi-platoon overwatches and bounding withdrawal.
  • Turns into a devastating, close ambush—several KIA and WIA within minutes; machinery of QRF, tanks, airstrikes.
  • Post-op introspection:
    “Did I do the right thing? You can do all the Monday-morning quarterbacking you want… but we’re just in the business of dangerous things.” ([115:13], Claburn)

9. Brotherhood with the SEALs: Jocko, Seth Stone, and Full Metal Jacket Connection

[117:47–128:02, 133:05–147:05]

• After "Great White," Gunfighter Company is receptive—“If you can help me, have a seat at the table.”
• The first joint patrols, firefights together, mutual respect quickly forged—which Joe says “changed my mindset about SOF.”
  “I want these guys with me on every mission.” ([126:07], Claburn about Task Unit Bruiser to Colonel Clark. Jocko: “That’s the best compliment I’ve gotten.”)
• Details on the infamous “blue on blue” (friendly fire) incident—complexity, communication breakdown, humility in after-action.
• Shared operational lessons (“Presence patrol is the worst combination of words you could use around me.”), focus on offense over defense, blending SOF and conventional strengths.

10. The Reality of Everyday Hell: Psychological Toll & Reflection

[154:31–162:04]

• Constant, pervasive danger: mortars, IEDs, sniper rounds, RPGs. “You walk into a minefield, you get back up, it’s ‘game on’ again.”
• The unshakeable psychological load:
  “Something’s got to give… you can swallow your fear, but you can’t do it forever.”
  Impact on postwar lives and the tragedy of losing more men to PTSD and suicide after coming home.
• The surviving brotherhood:
  “I still have guys reaching out to me and talking about those days… we literally went through something pretty significant.” ([190:26], Claburn)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On childhood adversity:
“You don’t really know what poor is, but, you know, hindsight being 20/20... sleeping in the back of a car was probably not normal for most people.”
— Joe Claburn ([05:00])

On being a young officer with Vietnam vet mentors:
“If you go on patrol, if you’re asking the men to do it, then you need to go out there and do it, too. And… every single soldier that I was in charge of… needs to thank those guys.”
— Claburn ([13:09])

On the perpetual danger of Ramadi:
“Get mortared four to five times a week... It doesn’t even make the news.”
— Quoting himself as Charlie Company Commander ([00:53])

On discipline & unit rehab:
“It took me nine months before we got there. Sure as shit, I rolled down and bought myself an 18 year old bottle of Macallan’s.”
— Claburn ([52:08])

On the blue-on-blue:
“You’re managing a ton of information... a perfect scenario for something to go wrong.”
— Claburn ([140:33])

On combat tempo:
“We were just showing up to work and doing the business of what infantry guys do.”
— Claburn ([157:10])

On operational regret:
“For years I carried regret... I just felt like I had more to give. Maybe I could’ve changed things a little more.”
— Claburn ([182:31])

On PTSD and the war’s cost:
“We lost guys back home because of their inability to cope with what we went through.”
— Claburn ([211:44])

On brotherhood grounded in action, not reputation:
“I looked up to you because of the trident, but I respected you for the men you were.”
— Claburn to Jocko ([218:52])

Timestamps for Major Events & Segments

• [00:07] Ramadi, IEDs, attacks—opening context
• [05:00] Claburn’s childhood; upbringing
• [16:51] 9/11; immediate post-9/11 deployments
• [23:16] First time under direct enemy fire
• [39:32] Ranger School as a combat-experienced officer
• [47:36] Standing up Gunfighter Company—leadership out of chaos
• [53:24] Shift to Ramadi and psychological adjustment
• [73:18] Arrival in Ramadi: austere, dangerous, transformative
• [81:19] “Gunfighter” name, ethos, and psychological ops
• [89:36] First months: heavy casualties, continuous raids
• [97:41] Operation Great White and aftermath
• [117:47] Arrival of Task Unit Bruiser, “best compliment I’ve received”
• [136:36] The blue-on-blue: horror, humility, hard lessons
• [154:31] Relentless pace, rare stand-down, running on “go go go”
• [162:04] Psychological aftermath, PTSD, and loss at home
• [181:14] Calling in airstrikes; Anglico, kinetic warfare, and massive firepower
• [188:51] The war as “six days in hell” daily, not just occasionally
• [218:52] Reflections on growth, humility, and the “real difference” between SOF/conventional is money, not magic
• [223:29] Going door-to-door, “Jenga map” operations, and knowing every house in the Malab

The Tone & Authenticity

Raw, human, darkly funny (at times), and deeply respectful. No machismo—just ground truth from men who endured the mental and physical price of leadership in modern war. The bond between Claburn and Jocko illustrates that real professionalism and humility transcend the logo on your uniform.

For New Listeners or Those Unfamiliar with the Battle of Ramadi

The episode offers a window—both granular and big-picture—into the highest-stakes combat leadership and everyday resilience. Brutal, honest stories and the real decisions that turn chaos into a “normal day” and unbreakable brotherhood.

Must-Hear Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “I want these guys with me on every mission.” — Claburn, to Colonel Clark on Task Unit Bruiser ([126:07])
• “We were just showing up to work and doing the business of what infantry guys do.” — Claburn ([157:10])
• “That was not normal. Imagine doing that for eight months straight.” — Claburn, referencing “Warfare” and the daily grind of Ramadi ([211:56])
• “You can swallow your fear… but something’s got to give… you can’t do that forever.” — Claburn ([161:22])
• “I looked up to you because of the trident, but I respected you for the men you were.” — Claburn to Jocko ([218:52])

Final Notes

Jocko and Echo promise a further episode covering Claburn’s British exchange, Afghanistan, parachute accident, and transition to life after the Army.
This episode stands as a powerful account of the human costs and enduring lessons of true combat leadership.

[End of Summary – Jocko Podcast 518]