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  2. What the Hell Is Going On/
  3. WTH Should I Read This Summer? ‘Twenty Times I Almost Died’ by John Spencer
August 13, 2026
August 13, 2026

•Episode length: 53m

American Enterprise Institute

WTH Should I Read This Summer? ‘Twenty Times I Almost Died’ by John Spencer

Episode length: 53m

Subscribe to What the Hell Is Going OnSubscribe

In the second edition of our What the Hell summer reading series, John Spencer shares stories from his latest book, “Twenty Times I Almost Died: Life Lessons from the Edge of Survival.” From fighting swarms of killer bees in Panama, to 25 years in the military, to conducting war research in Gaza, Spencer has consistently pushed the line. WTH does a person take away from these experiences? We discuss his incredible experiences and the life lessons that are learned on the edge of danger.

John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and military analyst. An internationally recognized authority on urban warfare, military strategy, and modern conflict, he is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on urban warfare. During his Army career, he served as an advisor to the Army's senior four-star general and other senior leaders as part of strategic research organizations spanning the Pentagon and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Since retiring from the Army, he has continued to advise senior military leaders, heads of state, and militaries around the world. Spencer currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project.

Read the transcript here.

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Hosts:
•Danielle Pletka•Marc Thiessen

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