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Author Archives: psessum
The Rain God, BOB and the Infantryman’s Relationship With the Weather
By: Peter Sessum There is a saying in the Infantry, “If it ain’t raining, it ain’t training, if ain’t snowing, we ain’t going.” Okay not exactly profound I know and the only ones I have heard say it with any … Continue reading
Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, So There I Was
Tagged Army, BOB, Experiences, Germany, Grunt, Hohenfels, Infantry, nature, outdoors, POG, Rain God, snow gods, The Field, Training, Weather
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The Spec-4 Mafia, If You Ask You Lose All Deniability
By: Peter Sessum Recently, I was filling in as a production assistant for a few days and I think I impressed the boss with my work ethic and performance. I joked that they were going to miss me and told … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, So There I Was
Tagged 25th Infantry Division, Army, Experiences, Fort Polk, JRTC, Management, POG, PSYOP, Rank, Sergeant, So There I Was, Spec-4 Mafia, Specialist, Vets
9 Comments
Be Polite and Respectful, but Have a Plan to Kill Everyone in the Room
By: Peter Sessum So there I was, in a small village in Kandahar Province, no shit. We had just rolled up and the area was deserted. It is like when the gunfighter walks into that old western town and tumbleweed … Continue reading
Posted in So There I Was
Tagged 2004, Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Building Rapport, Combat Zone, Experiences, Have a Plan, Kandahar, My Deployment, POG, PSYOP, Village
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Check Your Priorities
By: Peter Sessum So there I was, in Afghanistan, no shit. I was standing in the terminal at Bagram Airfield waiting to fly to Khowst Province. I had a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) slung across my front, a rifle … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, So There I Was
Tagged Afghanistan, Army, Baagram, current-events, Danny Chen, Experiences, FOB, Government Waste, Kwost, My Deployment, politics, PSYOP, Senate Hearings, So There I Was, Superbowl, Veterans, Wardrobe Malfunction
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America’s Got Liars
By: Peter Sessum On Monday, a person got on stage of America’s got talent and told a sob story about how he survived an RPG attack in Afghanistan and was worried that he would not live to see his kids … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged Afghanistan, Americas Got Talent, Army, Combat Zone, Grunt, Medal Fraud, POG, SGT Tim Poe, Special Forces, Stolen Valor, Veterans, Vets
1 Comment
Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Month By Recognizing True American Heroes
By: Peter Sessum When most people think of the “Greatest Generation” they picture a platoon of fresh faced, corn-fed farm boys from the Midwest and one wise cracking kid from Brooklyn. It is the movie stereotype of the WWII American … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Real Heroes
Tagged API, Army, Asian American Heritage Month, Combat Zone, Gothic Line, Internment Camp, Japanese Americans, Leadership, Mission, Nisei, Pearl Harbor, politics, Veterans, Vets, WWII
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Life Was Better When You Could Punch Someone
By: Peter Sessum I am not an advocate of freeform or random violence, however, things were better when you could punch someone in the face without getting fired or going to jail. Of course you couldn’t just hit anyone; that … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged AGT, Bullies, Bully, current-events, Harassment, Hazing, law of the jungle, Life Skills, Little Brother Bully, Piers Morgan, politics, Rank
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I Miss the Pig
By: Peter Sessum When the going gets tough, the tough get cyclic. That is why you gotta love machine guns. A sniper rifle is like a surgeon’s scalpel, removing bad guys one at a time. A machine gun is like … Continue reading
Posted in So There I Was
Tagged Army, Bosnia, Experiences, Firing Range, Fort Lewis, Fun Times, Germany, ground pounder, gun fires, JBLM, M60, Machine Gun, Pig, range safety officer, Shooting
2 Comments
Military Leadership Part 2: Officer v. Enlisted
By: Peter Sessum If I were a human resources manager and had to fill two position in a corporation, one for CEO and one for a factory shift leader and only had to choose from an Army Staff Sergeant and … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership
Tagged Air Force, Army, current-events, Enlisted, enlisted soldier, Kicking Some Knowledge, Leadership, Leading, Management, Marines, Navy, Officers, politics, Punishment, Rank, Soldiers, Veterans, Working With Vets
2 Comments
When Did Honorable Service Stop Being Enough?
By: Peter Sessum With the Supreme Court striking down the Stolen Valor Act and people like Tim Poe making national headlines I have to wonder, when did serving with honor stop being good enough? I know that it sounds cooler … Continue reading →