In this episode of WTF Now?, Rick Wheatley reconnects with Lt Gen Mark Hertling (US Army, ret.) — former Commanding General of US Army Europe, former head of Initial Military Training at TRADOC, and author of If I Don't Return — a book that began as a handwritten journal Mark kept during the first Gulf War, when his cavalry squadron had been briefed to expect 50% casualties and he had two young sons at home. 

Three decades later his son typed up the journal and handed it back to him on Christmas morning. What followed is a book full of reflections on leadership, fear, friendship, character and what it means to do right by the people around you — written in a voice that feels increasingly rare in American public life today. 

Together they explore three things. The book itself — the story behind it and why Mark thinks it matters right now. America and Europe — what to make of a country many Europeans feel they've lost over the past year, and what an honest return to its better self would actually require. And leadership at scale — drawing on Mark's experience transforming US Army basic training across 27 posts at TRADOC and reshaping US Army Europe from a 90,000-soldier post-Cold War force into a 30,000-soldier partnership engine across 49 countries (work that helped prepare Ukraine for what it would face in 2014 and 2022). 

If you lead a large, complex organisation through turbulent times — and you're looking for the language and the example of someone who has done it where the stakes were quite literally life and death — this one is worth your time. 

Enjoying the podcast? 👉 Tap Follow, leave us a ⭐️ review, or hit the 👍 Like button to support thoughtful, honest conversations. 

🛎️ Subscribe for more episodes of WTF Now? 

🔗 Follow us around the web: 

🌐 Website: http://www.systems7.co 

💼 LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/Eu0wY 

▶️ YouTube: https://shorturl.at/KTCwj 

🎧 Spotify: https://shorturl.at/HsVlW 

🍏 Apple Podcast: https://shorturl.at/deldU