Photo courtesy of Jack Carr.
The Joe Rogan Experience was ranked Spotify’s most popular podcast in 2020, with each episode raking in millions of listeners worldwide. Among the A-list comedians, athletes, politicians, and artists, Joe Rogan’s guest list also includes an impressive roster of military veterans.
Rogan is known for his excellent, long-form conversations, but we found a few interviews with veterans who took it to another level. From inspirational to thoughtful, even thought-provoking, these are five podcast episodes you don’t want to miss:
Evan Hafer and Mat Best
When your boss’s bosses have an episode, they get the top spot on the list. Black Rifle Coffee Company founder and CEO Evan Hafer and BRCC executive vice president Mat Best joined Rogan for episode 1546. They talked about everything ranging from combat and toxic exposure to coffee and running a successful business. If you’re reading this article and haven’t listened to BRCC’s dynamic duo talk to Rogan, go check it out.
Dakota Meyer
Dakota Meyer was the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. He’s also the second-youngest living recipient. Meyer was awarded the medal for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal, a firefight that resulted in five American troops being killed in action. During episode 1363, Meyer recounted the events of the battle in raw detail. Rogan respectfully urged Meyer on as he described killing a Taliban fighter with a rock and how that changed his life forever.
Meyer explained how, even though he has no regrets about the fight, he was able to empathize with the man before killing him. If he could empathize with a man he had killed in hand-to-hand combat, Meyer said, then there’s no reason the rest of us couldn’t practice a little more patience and understanding. “No cause that you have that’s built on hate will survive,” Meyer said. His memories from the battle are also recounted in his gripping book, Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War, co-authored by Bing West. Plus, Meyer’s no stranger to podcasts. He also appeared on Jocko Podcast, which brings us to the next Rogan guest.
Jocko Willink
The former Navy SEAL hosts his own popular podcast. Willink served as a SEAL officer and led Task Unit Bruiser during the Battle of Ramadi. Since leaving the Navy, Willink has created his own business and podcast and has authored several books. He is also a serious Brazilian jiujitsu practitioner. The two martial artists have collaborated on four different episodes: 729, 962, 1391, and 1492. Any time these podcast heavyweights get together, it’s guaranteed to be worth a listen.
Jack Carr
Coffee or Die Magazine’s favorite SEAL-turned-author, Jack Carr, was Rogan’s guest on episodes 1467 and 1634. The two discussed Carr’s journey from the SEAL teams, to writing, to the upcoming TV adaptation of Carr’s breakout novel, The Terminal List: A Thriller. Carr shared with Rogan about his wild connection with Chris Pratt and how Pratt was fatefully cast in the lead role. Fans of the James Reece series won’t want to miss these episodes.
David Fravor
David Fravor served 24 years in the military, first as an enlisted Marine, then as a Navy pilot. Fravor graduated from the United States Naval Academy and is, by all metrics, a trustworthy authority on all things flight-related. In 2004, Fravor was flying an F/A-18F Super Hornet when he experienced something … er … strange.
During a training flight, Fravor encountered a UFO. Unbeknownst to Fravor at the time, the Navy had been tracking similar “aircraft” for weeks. He told Rogan the UFO was approximately 40 feet long, shaped like a Tic Tac, and acting strangely for an airplane or helicopter. He described how it had flown in ways that were impossible for man-made aircraft, even disappearing and then reappearing miles away in less than a minute. Fravor and three other aviators tracked and recorded the UFO in a video that the Pentagon recently declassified. Rogan’s natural ability to relax his guests resulted in the best interview the top-gun pilot had given about the infamous incident. Whether you normally buy into UFO conspiracy theories or are a hard-line skeptic, episode 1361 is entertaining and may make you question your place in the universe.
Read Next: The Most Comprehensive List of US Military-Veteran Musicians Ever
Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.
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