If you’ve spent any time in the corner of the internet where former special operators swap war stories, you’ve heard of John McPhee. Most people know him by his call sign, Shrek. He’s a mountain of a man with a voice that sounds like it’s been dragged over miles of gravel, and his stories? Well, they’re the stuff of legend—or controversy, depending on who you ask in the veteran community.
The biggest story, the one that everyone brings up when discussing the hunt for Osama bin Laden, is the John McPhee Tora Bora connection. It’s a tale that involves a taxi, a smelly blanket, and a level of sheer audacity that seems like it was ripped straight out of a Bourne movie.
But what actually happened on that mountain in 2001?
Getting Into the Mountains
The Battle of Tora Bora was a mess. Let’s be real. It was December 2001, and the U.S. was trying to pin down bin Laden in a massive cave complex in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan. You had Delta Force (CAG), some Green Berets, and British SBS guys all trying to coordinate with local Afghan militias who weren't always on the same page.
John McPhee was there as a Delta operator. While the "official" history usually focuses on the air strikes and the massive failure to block the Pakistani border, McPhee’s personal account focuses on something much more intimate: a solo mission.
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He has recounted several times—most notably on the Shawn Ryan Show and the Life or Death podcast—how he ended up taking a cab out of Jalalabad toward the Tora mountains. Just him. No interpreter. No massive QRF (Quick Reaction Force) sitting on his shoulder.
The "Smelly Blanket" Tactic
One of the most famous, and frankly bizarre, details of the John McPhee Tora Bora story is how he handled checkpoints. Imagine being a Tier 1 operator, some of the most highly trained human beings on earth, and your primary survival tool is... acting.
McPhee didn't speak the local language. When he’d hit a tribal or Taliban checkpoint and get an AK-47 shoved toward his chest, he couldn’t talk his way out. So, he improvised. He’s gone on record saying he basically acted like he was mentally disabled. He’d make loud, incoherent noises at "volume 11" to make the guards uncomfortable.
In one specific instance, he reportedly offered a guard an old, smelly blanket as if it were his most prized possession. The goal was simple: make the guards want him to leave as quickly as possible. It worked. They’d see this strange, loud man with a blanket and just wave him through.
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It sounds crazy. Honestly, it is. But in the "Wild West" days of early 2001 Afghanistan, the line between brilliant and insane was pretty thin.
Why People Argue About This
Here’s where things get complicated. If you look at military forums or subreddits like r/JSOCarchive, you’ll see people tearing these stories apart. In the world of special operations, credibility is everything.
Some veterans and researchers point to discrepancies in McPhee's records that surfaced around 2024 and 2025. There are claims that while he was absolutely a legitimate Delta operator—nobody denies he was in "The Unit"—some of his career milestones might have been "polished."
- The Rank: He often identifies as a retired Sergeant Major, but some records suggest he might have retired as a Master Sergeant.
- The Exit: There’s a lot of chatter about why he left the military, with some alleging it was due to issues with detainee handling rather than the "divorce-related" reasons he sometimes cites.
- The "Solo" Nature: Some find it hard to believe "higher-ups" would allow a solo operator to wander into Tora Bora without any support.
But then you have the guys who served with him. People like Jamey Caldwell have confirmed being in the caves of Tora Bora with "Shrek." There are even famous photos from that era—grainy, high-contrast shots of operators in Afghan shawls—where McPhee is visible, often carrying a modified HK21 or G3 rifle.
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The Reality of Tora Bora
Whether you believe every word of the "taxi driver" story or not, the John McPhee Tora Bora narrative highlights the absolute chaos of that period. The U.S. was relying on small teams to do massive jobs.
McPhee’s specialty was "Singleton" operations—working alone in high-threat environments. Even his critics usually admit he was a "top-tier warfighter" during his prime. He eventually took these skills and turned them into a training brand called SOB Tactical (Sheriff of Baghdad), where he uses high-speed video diagnostics to teach shooting.
What We Can Learn From the Tora Bora Mess
The hunt for bin Laden at Tora Bora failed because of a lack of boots on the ground. While operators like McPhee were doing solo recons and clearing caves, the larger strategic net had holes big enough to drive a truck through.
- Trust the ground truth: Technology and airpower (which we used plenty of at Tora Bora) can't replace the intel gathered by someone actually standing on the mountain.
- Adaptability is king: Whether it’s acting "retarded" at a checkpoint or modifying a weapon for a specific mountain environment, the best operators are the ones who can pivot when the plan fails.
- The story is rarely simple: History is written by the winners, but war stories are written by the guys who were there—and those stories always have layers of personal bias, trauma, and "the fog of war."
If you’re looking for a definitive "yes" or "no" on every detail of McPhee’s time in Afghanistan, you probably won't find it. The military doesn't release play-by-play logs of Delta Force solo recons. What remains is a mix of legendary grit and the inevitable scrutiny that comes when a "quiet professional" decides to start talking.
To get the most out of this history, look at the declassified AARs (After Action Reports) of the Tora Bora campaign alongside McPhee's interviews. You'll see where the personal experience matches the strategic failure.
Next Steps for Fact-Checking:
If you want to dig deeper into the actual military records versus the stories, look for the 2024 "Jameson's Travels" or "Nate's" investigative videos that surfaced on YouTube. They provide a direct look at Department of Defense (DOD) documents that contrast with some of the viral podcast clips. Always compare the "Primary Source" (the documents) with the "Oral History" (the podcasts) to find the truth in the middle.