From Teacher to Troop Commander in Iraq (& Sunday Times Bestseller) | Owain Mulligan

What happens when a school teacher becomes a reservist officer and gets deployed to Iraq with almost zero preparation? Owain Mulligan didn't just survive it — he wrote the book on it. In this episode of The Army Bloke Podcast, I sit down with Owain Mulligan, author of The Accidental Soldier: Dispatches from Quite Near the Front Line — a Sunday Times Top 5 bestseller. Owain was a Gap Year Commission officer who later mobilised as a reservist, found himself thrown into troop command in Basra with minimal Pre-Deployment Training, and had to figure out leadership, trust, and survival under IDF barrages in real time.T his is one of the most honest conversations I've had on this podcast. Owain talks about the mistakes he made — some funny, some frightening — and what they taught him about leadership, unit culture, and what war actually leaves behind. If you're an aspiring officer, a reservist, or just fascinated by what military life really looks like beyond the recruitment brochure — this one's for you. 👉 Want help preparing for AOSB? Find out more: https://linktr.ee/thearmybloke ⏱️ Chapters 0:00 — Cold Open And Introductions 2:38 — Learning Dari And Pashto 4:22 — Why Join And Gap Year Commission 11:22 — Teaching Burnout And Mobilising For Iraq 16:12 — Thrown Into Troop Command 23:42 — PDT Realism And NCO Trust 31:21 — Basra Reality Check And Lynx Loss 37:12 — IDF Barrage And Facing Mortality 45:44 — Strike Ops Mistake And Leadership 56:10 — From Linguist Course To Afghanistan 1:01:54 — Writing The Accidental Soldier 1:06:43 — What War Leaves Behind 1:16:16 — Choosing A Healthy Unit Culture 1:19:17 — War Child And Closing Thanks #britisharmy #armyofficer #theaccidentalsoldier #thearmybloke #armypodcast #sandhurst #armyreserve