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Author Archives: psessum
The Freedom Run, a Run to Remember
By: Peter Sessum Veterans Day is coming up and that means it is time, once again, for the Freedom Run. Many people talk about remembering the fallen but how many actually do anything about it? The brainchild of an FDNY … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, So There I Was
Tagged 500 mile club, Afghan, Afghanistan, Air Force, Army, Club Vet, COB, Combat Zone, dogtag chronicles, Edmonds Community College, Enlisted, Experiences, Freedom Run, GWOT, ISAF, Life Skills, Military, Navy, Officers, Remember the Fallen, run, Run to Remember, running, So There I Was, The Freedon Run, Veteran club
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The Marine Corps Equality Conspiracy
By: Peter Sessum When this first hit the news last year I wanted to wait to see how it played out. The Marines have best tried to find out how to incorporate women into combat arms jobs. The lack of … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged current-events, Enlisted, females in combat, Gender equality, Grunt, Infantry, Infantry training, Infantry unit, Marine Corp, Marines, Military, Officers, The Marines, Training, USMC, Women in Combat
1 Comment
What it Feels Like to be a Veteran
By: Peter Sessum Looking at pictures of a military airplane bone-yard I couldn’t help but think that is what it felt like to be a veteran. Made for a specific purpose and once the purpose is served, discarded and left … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged Air Force, Army, Discharge, Experiences, featured, Grunt, Infantry, Life Skills, Marines, Military, Navy, PSYOP, Sailor, Soldier, Training, Vet, Veteran, Veterans, Vets, What being a vet feels like, WWII
2 Comments
Where were you on 9/11? Story from Germany
By: Dave James WARNING! These are the random brain-droppings of an old man and the veracity of my recollection is becoming suspect… I DO, however, tell a good story. So any inconsistency from actual occurrences, even in the face of … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, So There I Was
Tagged 2001, 9-11, 9/11, 9/11/01, Anti terrorism, Experiences, Force Protection, Germany, Guard Duty, Harassment, Leadership, Management, Military, Never Forget, Remember the Fallen, September 11, Setember 11 2001, So There I Was, Training, Veterans, Vets, World Trade Center, World Trade Towers, WTC
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Whistle-blowers are not all created equal
By Peter Sessum With Bradley Manning’s trial being over and Edward Snowden still in the wind, whistle-blowers have been in the media a lot lately. There is this cultural perception that the government is always up to something sinister and … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge
Tagged Abu Gharib, abu gharib prison, Afghan, Afghanistan, Apache, army reservist, Bradley Manning, defense secretary donald rumsfeld, Edward Snowden, Geneva Conventions, GWOT, Iraq, Military, NSA, NSA leaks, politics, War crimes, Whistle blower, whistle blowers, Wikileaks
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Random Memory: Breakdown of a leadership challenge
By: Peter Sessum How someone handles an issue will determine if they are a leader or a manager. Everyone wants to think they are a leader, but in reality, few actually are. Here is an issue that I encountered as … Continue reading
Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership, Random Memories, So There I Was
Tagged 1-5 Inf, 25th Infantry Division, AR 670-1, Army, Experiences, Fort Lewis, Grunt, Infantry, Leadership, Leadership v. Management, Management, Military, NCO, PFC, platoon sergeant, Private, Private First Class, Promotion, So There I Was, Soldiers, Squad Leader
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Girl Among the Grunts
By: Peter Sessum In the late ’90s I was part of 1-26 Infantry in Germany and we almost never saw women. In Schweinfurt, the military garrison was split into two and our part didn’t have any women soldiers. So when … Continue reading
Sometimes You Just Gotta Dance a Jig
By: Peter Sessum So there I was, smoking a cigar and dancing on a bunker in Afghanistan, no shit. Why am I dancing on a bunker in Afghanistan? From an existential perspective, why is anyone anywhere doing anything? In truth, … Continue reading
Posted in So There I Was
Tagged Afghanistan, Army, BAF, Bagram, Blue Falcon, Brothers in Arms, Bunker, Cigar, Combat Zone, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, funny, General Order #1, good times, Military, Military friends, My Deployment, PSYOP, PSYOP reclass, So There I Was, Veterans, Vodka
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The Infamous Dump Truck Mission
By Peter Sessum So there I was, in Afghanistan, no shit. We were on a mission in the middle of nowhere. Normally, it can be nice to watch the sun rise, but being up since 0200 made it difficult to … Continue reading
Posted in So There I Was
Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Experiences, FOB, Military, Mission, My Deployment, Psychological Operations, PSYOP, So There I Was, Speaker Monkey, Special Forces, Vets, Village
2 Comments
The Dogtag Chronicles 
Hiring a Vet part 3: Leading Veterans in the Workplace
By: Peter Sessum Many companies like the good press that comes from saying they like to hire veterans. Some companies even follow through with that. Unfortunately, many civilian supervisors do not understand how to lead veterans. Mostly it is due … Continue reading →