He was in the room when the invasion was planned.Colonel Kevin Benson takes us inside Operation Iraqi Freedom — the war games, the chaos, and why “catastrophic success” became the Army’s nightmare phrase.⏱ Timestamps00:00 – Introduction to Why Wars Happened00:45 – Meet Colonel Kevin Benson01:30 – Operation Iraqi Freedom overview04:52 – Challenges & planning the Iraq War08:11 – Naming operations & historical context09:31 – Colonel Benson’s military career17:52 – Impact of 9/11 on operations20:28 – Logistics & planning complexities27:19 – Introduction to “Snowflakes”30:35 – Tactical execution challenges31:50 – War gaming & adjustments41:13 – Exit strategy & post-war planning44:07 – Catastrophic success explained49:52 – Final reflections#IraqWar #OperationIraqiFreedom #MilitarySecrets #USArmy #WhyWarsHappened