The Team House – Episode 382: From Marine to Army SMU Operator | Varpas De Sa Pereira

Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Jack Murphy
Guest: Varpas De Sa Pereira (Marine Corps/Army Special Operations, Clinical Psychologist, Author)

Episode Overview

This episode features Varpas De Sa Pereira, who shares his unique journey from growing up in a multicultural immigrant family to leading Marines in combat, transitioning to Army Special Mission Units, and ultimately becoming a clinical psychologist specializing in veterans’ transition and mental health. He discusses his new book, Warrior Withdrawal, which identifies a set of symptoms experienced by veterans that lie between adjustment disorder and PTSD, suggesting these may be akin to substance withdrawal for former warriors.

Key Discussion Points

1. Family Background and Origin Story

[03:11 - 07:01]

• Varpas’ first name is Lithuanian; last name is Portuguese: both parents are immigrants—mother escaped the Soviets and Nazis in WWII via Canada, father fled military dictatorship in Brazil.
• Grew up in Massachusetts speaking Lithuanian with his mom, Portuguese with his dad.
  • "I think it was in third grade when I realized that's not... everybody's house." — Varpas [04:13]
• Family's humorous and unique approaches to naming children.

2. Journey into Military Service

[07:01 - 13:52]

• Born on a military base due to father’s Army career—wanted to go Navy via Annapolis, but a surgery led him to ROTC at Boston University.
• Commissioned through Naval ROTC, ultimately chose Marines (“all roads lead to Quantico as a Marine”).
• Describes Marine officer training—the deliberately “randomized” MOS assignment system to maintain quality across branches.
• Selected infantry, assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, began specialized training at Coronado.

3. Deployments and Combat Leadership

[13:52 - 32:50]

• First Deployments:

  • Deployed to Okinawa (pre-9/11), returned stateside just before 9/11—felt the coming change.
  • Became aide to a general in the military build-up to the Iraq war, stationed in Kuwait.
  • Requested Recon, but assigned elsewhere.

• Iraq Invasion 2003:

  • XO in a boat company, attached to British 3 Commando Brigade.
  • Key missions: securing the Umm Qasr port, actions during the Jessica Lynch rescue.
  • Notable incident: prevented an attempted mortar strike on civilians; stood up to superior (company commander).
    • “I had inscribed on my cover... ‘no women, no kids.’” — Varpas [20:03]
  • Faced internal backlash for refusing questionable orders; his moral decision ultimately sidelined his career progression.

• FAST Teams (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Teams):

  • Provided embassy/installation security amid heightened threats (Baghdad, Riyadh, Djibouti).
  • Contrasts between front-line and Green Zone experiences.

• Military Transition Team in Iraq, 2005:

  • Integrated with and mentored Iraqi infantry units, often with minimal American support.
  • “I was lead truck, our truck got hit by a small IED... And it’s only at that moment that I realize I am the dismount and the vehicle commander.” — Varpas [36:12]

• Company Commands and Later Deployments:

  • Took company command just before the 2007 Iraq Surge, operated north of Fallujah in tough COIN environments.
  • Recalls wild-west violence, then local initiative success.
  • Commanded two different companies; transitioned to Weapons Company; deployed as part of MEU for counter-piracy off Horn of Africa.
  • USS New Orleans collided with a US sub—“Our captain did not get relieved, but the sub captain did!” [48:46]
  • Was on supporting platform during Maersk Alabama rescue (but didn’t directly participate—units with higher priority assumed lead).

4. Transition to Army SMU (Special Mission Unit)

[51:18 - 63:28]

• Attended Army recruiting brief for a no-longer “off-limits” unit; discovered Marines were eligible and began the application.

• Assessment & Selection (ANS):

  • “Would you do it again?” “Absolutely not!... Now I’m like, of course I would do it again.” — Varpas [54:06]
  • Describes stress-induced loss of memory encoding, unique land navigation and scenario-based testing, pressure to improvise.

• Operator Training Course (OTC):

  • “Almost all new, all challenging and no feedback... For someone who thrives on validation, that was difficult.” [56:39-58:22]
  • Expected to demonstrate creativity beyond doctrinal knowledge.
  • Served as troop commander for the unit; most of the job involved HUMINT and close target reconnaissance, with responsibilities increasingly focused on leadership rather than “trigger-pulling.”

• Command Experiences & Missions:

  • Describes frustration with military bureaucracy (being nearly yanked for staff college after completing elite selection).
  • Reflects on limited operational latitude—“infinite cosmic power in an itty bitty living space” (Aladdin reference) [61:00]
  • Example: tasked with preparing dozens of retaliatory options after the Syria chemical attack and Iranian provocations, only for leadership to select none.
    • “We generated the list and then nothing was selected. It's like, ‘no thank you, I'll just have water.’” — Varpas [62:00]

5. Transitioning Out & Mental Health Struggles

[69:34 - 79:55]

• Out-processed via early retirement, became a geographic bachelor; describes personal and institutional betrayal (“go F yourself, Marines”).
• Civilian transition was abrupt; pay was cut due to paperwork error, owed the government a large sum (“For the months of October, November, I was like, where's my paycheck?...it just didn't exist.”) [74:00]
• Became a contractor and full-time dad (“I went from briefing SOCOM on a kill-capture mission in early 2014 to my only responsibility being wiping my 2-year-old’s butt.”) [77:19]
• Psychological shock of sudden role change and the ongoing pull to “warrior” activities.

6. Becoming a Psychologist; The "Warrior Withdrawal" Syndrome

[79:55 - 104:28]

• Encouraged by his own psychologist to pursue psychology: “They'll talk to you in a way they’ll never talk to me, because you’ve been there.”
• Entered training, initially focused on child psychology (“adults are fully baked cakes...just give me the raw materials of the kids.”) [81:05]
• While at the VA, realized veterans who had never seen combat, or even completed basic training, had the same set of symptoms commonly associated with “warrior” withdrawal or loss of military identity.
• Developed the Warrior Withdrawal framework: compares the struggle to that of substance abuse/withdrawal.
  • Military culture is so unique and tightly-knit that losing it produces symptoms akin to withdrawal.
  • “The solution has to be detox...You have to do zero warrior stuff, and I don’t know for how long.” [98:01]
  • Current “skills bridge” transition programs are ineffective, as identity remains military until service actually ceases.

Notable Quotes

• “PTSD means I'm broken, means I need to be fixed...I don’t want to have that title. Whereas BAMF, I’ll take that title.” — Varpas [99:57]
• “Basic training is sufficient to drag you into warrior culture.” — Varpas [84:05]

Book Structure

• Written for the just-discharged veteran, using his own experiences to normalize the struggle (“I didn’t want to talk about myself at all...You have to tell your story.”) [104:38]
• Explains differences between PTSD, adjustment disorder, and warrior withdrawal, and describes group-based intervention modeling.

7. Stigma and the Court System Against Veterans

[107:16 - 115:16]

• Discusses how his book is being used against him in family court—judges and attorneys associating “PTSD” and “combat training” with potential for violence.
• “If you don’t have the capacity for violence...you’re just nothing...The guy who has all of the control over that violence, that’s me—I’m the last person you should be scared of!” — Varpas [108:14]
• Veterans seeking therapy are penalized in custody battles, further deterring treatment.
  • “It’s another barrier to treatment...Guys will not come in, they will not admit that anything is wrong because they don’t want to lose access to these things.” [111:44]
• Explains the crisis many veterans face—loss of identity, unfair court practices, and systemic injustice add to “moral injury.”

8. Solutions and Final Thoughts

[115:36 - 116:38 & Closing]

• Board member at Operation Shield, a nonprofit supporting service members in early transition, providing mental health services before VA enrollment.
• Core message:
  • “You're not broken. You don't need to be fixed—just need training.” — Varpas [116:30]

Highlighted Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Preventing a civilian casualty mortar strike, defying a superior's order (“no women, no kids” — [20:03]).
• Realizing “post-military” syndrome is not PTSD or mere adjustment, but akin to substance withdrawal.
• “PTSD...I never sought to avoid. I wanted to be around veterans. If anything, I had an affinity for it.” — Varpas [01:32-03:11]
• “We did zero on the backend to undo any of that training...it’s like rehab, but then going straight to the bar.” — Varpas [98:01]
• “The army keeps marching along” when you leave, and you’re quickly forgotten by former colleagues. [77:55]
• On courts and PTSD stigma: “The book that I published is being used against me in a court of law during my divorce.” — Varpas [107:35]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment | MM:SS–MM:SS | Content | |-------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Introduction & Background | 00:42–03:11 | Multicultural upbringing, family background | | Military Launch | 07:01–13:52 | ROTC, OCS, TBS, and first assignments | | Iraq Deployments & FAST | 13:52–32:50 | Key deployments, incidents, ethics, FAST | | Army SMU Selection | 51:18–63:28 | Special operations, selection, commando work | | Transition Out | 69:34–79:55 | Leaving service, family hardship, contracting | | VA & ‘Warrior Withdrawal’ | 79:55–104:28| Psychology, book genesis, substance analogy | | Court Challenges & Stigma | 107:16–115:16| Divorce, court prejudice, treatment barriers | | Solutions & Nonprofit | 115:36–116:38| Operation Shield, message to vets |

Resources

• Warrior Withdrawal (book) – Available on Amazon and publisher Dallas Books.
• Operation Shield – California-based nonprofit aiding transitioning service members.
• Contact/follow-up: Operation Shield for support, or Amazon to purchase the book.

Final Words

Varpas’s journey from Marine, to Army operator, to clinical psychologist uniquely situates him to speak on the challenges faced by service members transitioning out. Through Warrior Withdrawal, he seeks to change the narrative: veterans aren’t “broken” but need understanding and intentional “detox” from warrior culture, just as with any life-altering identity change.

“You’re not broken. You don’t need to be fixed. You just need training.”
— Varpas De Sa Pereira [116:30]