GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics

The Eternal Optimist: H.R. McMaster on Combat, Faith, and Turning Down the Funk | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

26 Aug 2025

Audio

Description

What inspires a young boy to dream about a career in the US Army and then, after graduating from West Point, manage to prepare for—and survive—combat? In a “solo” installment of GoodFellows, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Hoover’s Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, a former national security advisor to the president, and a highly honored combat veteran, discusses his childhood in Philadelphia, the inspiring figures he encountered during his Army years, his roundabout journey to becoming an armor officer, lessons from tank battles in the Middle East, and the importance of faith. He also describes a post-service life in California, where, ironically, an Army man makes sense of world affairs while chillaxing on a paddleboard. Also joining the show: Katie McMaster, who recounts how she and her husband met (it was love at first sight), the challenges of being a military spouse, the day H.R. said goodbye to his head of hair (he shaved his head at her insistence), plus her ongoing campaign to spare her Orange County neighbors from the blare of H.R.’s favorite tunes. Subscribe to GoodFellows for clarity on today’s biggest social, economic, and geostrategic shifts — only on GoodFellows.

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Other recent transcribed episodes

Transcribed and ready to explore now

3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.

Report any issue

GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics

The Eternal Optimist: H.R. McMaster on Combat, Faith, and Turning Down the Funk | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment