S1E9: Command Climate

The final episode of THE WAR WITHIN considers the impact of the Kandahar Massacre on the withdrawal of American troops from Kabul in 2021, while gathering final thoughts from many of the people affected by this tragedy – including, of course, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales himself. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 11 of THE WAR WITHIN unveils an explosive final interview with Robert Bales, recorded from Fort Leavenworth Prison in December of 2022, where the convicted war criminal responds to some of the accusations made by others throughout the podcast series. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 10 of THE WAR WITHIN gathers and organizes details gleaned from Robert Bales' many hours of interviews to question whether an astonishing theory from one of the Staff Sergeant's former Privates might completely re-contextualize our collective understanding of what happened in Afghanistan on March 11th, 2012. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 9 of THE WAR WITHIN tracks Robert Bales' various appeals efforts over the years – both in the courts and the press. Then, the story travels back to VSP Belambai in Afghanistan, where the claim that the Staff Sergeant was an elite warrior is put under the microscope. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 8 of THE WAR WITHIN investigates the checkered history of the antimalarial drug Mefloquine, which has been theorized to cause major side effects – such as hallucinations and homicidal ideation – in American soldiers throughout the 21st century. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 7 of THE WAR WITHIN concerns the numerous substances that might have altered Robert Bales’ state of mind in 2012 Afghanistan – particularly, a controversial and potentially defective antimalarial drug. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 6 of THE WAR WITHIN probes the controversial subjects of Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD in the Armed Forces, in determining whether Staff Sergeant Bales was fit to deploy to a warzone for the fourth time. It also continues to follow up on the question of whether Bales' victims were associated with the Taliban insurgency. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 5 of THE WAR WITHIN sheds light on how Robert Bales' handles his present and future circumstances in Fort Leavenworth, where he's sentenced to life in prison, before asking the first of several crucial questions concerning the Kandahar Massacre: Were the Afghan civilians killed that fateful night... actually members of the enemy Taliban? THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4 of THE WAR WITHIN delves into Robert Bales' contentious military trial, from the perspectives of both the prosecution and the defense. While the US government was intent on achieving its definition of justice for the Kandahar Massacre, Bales' family and team were determined to keep the Staff Sergeant alive. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3 of THE WAR WITHIN tracks the immediate aftermath of the Kandahar Massacre, as Robert Bales’ family hires a prominent lawyer and navigates a growing media frenzy around the story – all while probing deeper into Bales’ backstory. THE WAR WITHIN was produced Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Check Point Productions, and Mosquito Park Pictures, in association with iHeart Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.