When Violence Is Virtue: Why Men Need The Warrior Ethos | Adam McLain | Ep. 64


Author: iHeartPodcasts October 6, 2025 Duration: 59:44
Podcast episode
When Violence Is Virtue: Why Men Need The Warrior Ethos | Adam McLain | Ep. 64

📍Former Navy SEAL David Rutherford sits down with Adam McClain, U.S. Marine infantry rifleman and author of the bestselling book When Violence is Virtue.

In this powerful conversation, Adam shares his journey from college dropout to Marine rifleman, his combat deployments in Afghanistan, and the hard lessons about rules of engagement, leadership failures, and the price of restraint. Together, they explore themes of warrior ethos, courage in the face of fear, false peace, societal decay, and legacy.

📖 Order When Violence is Virtue: https://a.co/d/cf1VI6k

📲 Follow Adam on Twitter: @BangSwitch5000

Timestamps:

00:00 - Book Excerpt Intro

05:23 - Why Adam Chose To Be A Marine

11:16 - 2014 Deployment, ROE frustration

29:09 - Why Adam Wrote The Book

37:57 - The Warrior Ethos

42:06 - Embracing Fear

45:27 - Passivity Isn’t Virtue

50:37 - The Compassionate Warrior

55:08 - A Warrior’s Legacy

56:51 - Order the book and follow Adam

 

Next Steps:

 

Follow Clay & Buck on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/clayandbuck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


More episodes

Duration: 17:00
Debra Lea joins Buck for her first appearance on the podcast after f Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. They discuss the administration’s first-year accomplishments, and break down what could be ahead in year two…

Duration: 51:26
Clay Parties with the Men's Hockey Team State of the Union buzz and a culture‑war flashpoint: the Team USA men’s Olympic hockey gold becoming a lightning rod after a celebratory call from President Trump. Clay recounts j…

Duration: 36:42
Hour 1 centers on the State of the Union buzz and a culture‑war flashpoint: the Team USA men’s Olympic hockey gold becoming a lightning rod after a celebratory call from President Trump. Clay opens by previewing the nigh…

Duration: 36:47
Hour 2 opens with Bill O’Reilly joining Clay and Buck to preview President Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address. O’Reilly predicts the speech will be long but optimistic, advising Trump to focus on projecting stre…

Duration: 36:54
Hour 3 of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show centers on a mix of political anticipation, cultural clashes, sports‑driven patriotism, and lighthearted personal storytelling as the country heads into President Trump’s St…

Duration: 1:00:06
Team USA Buck celebrates Team USA’s historic Olympic triumph in men’s ice hockey, defeating Canada to win the gold medal for the first time since 1980. He plays audio from star player Jack Hughes, whose comments about lo…

Duration: 36:50
Hour 1 of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show opens with Buck hosting solo while Clay is out, and the program immediately dives into a packed news cycle. The hour begins with international coverage as Buck explains risi…

Duration: 36:41
Hour 2 of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show focuses heavily on immigration, cartel violence, national security, and the human cost of illegal immigration, anchored by President Trump’s Angel Families remembrance event…

Duration: 36:46
Hour 3 opens with Buck Sexton solo‑hosting and hitting rapid‑fire headlines before a deeper dive into law, national security, and 2026 election politics. He leads with a patriotic recap of Team USA’s Olympic men’s hockey…

Logo
Select station
VOL