Sheriff of Baghdad John 'Shrek' McPhee

About this video

Former Delta Force Sergeant Major John ‘Shrek’ McPhee joins Ritland to discuss his unconventional path from Chicago’s South Side to Special Operations. McPhee recounts his rough upbringing, spontaneous decision to join the Army at nearly 21, and early military experiences including a combat jump into Iraq during Desert Storm where he broke his leg landing in a minefield. He shares candid perspectives on Ranger School, tactical training philosophy, and his current work with SOB Tactical teaching firearms and combat mindset.

Key takeaways

• McPhee attributes his resilience and no-quit mentality to a difficult childhood on Chicago’s South Side and grueling military selection processes including RIP and Ranger School
• According to McPhee, his unconventional Ranger School strategy involved him and his partner each getting ‘one quit per day’ to vocalize frustration, then immediately continuing—a mental pressure release that helped them push through
• McPhee advocates for keeping carry pistols completely stock with no modifications, reasoning that any defensive gun will end up in evidence and likely won’t be returned even after a justified shooting

Episode details: published July 8, 2024 · 2.1M views · 3:41:20 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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