Category Archives: Kicking Some Knowledge

Boba Fett isn’t Special Forces he is Still Just a POG

Posted on December 22, 2022 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum No, Boba Fett isn’t the “quintessential Special Forces soldier of the ‘Star Wars’ universe” or even “much more than just a badass galactic warrior” as Task & Purpose (T&P) states in their clickbait article Why Star Wars’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Afghanistan, Army, Boba Fett, COIN, Combat Zone, Counter Insurgency, dogtag chronicles, Dr. Edward Salo, Experiences, Grunt, grunt v. POG, LT, Mandalorian, Military, Murphy's Law of Combat, Opinion, POG, POGs, Special Forces, Star Wars, Task & Purpose, Task and Purpose, Veterans, Vets, What is a POG | Leave a comment

Boba Fett is Still a POG

Posted on December 27, 2021 by psessum

BY: Peter Sessum With the new Disney Plus series Book of Boba Fett coming out, it is time to revisit my earlier post, Boba Fett was a POG. Using Star Wars canon, on screen activities and off-screen conclusions, not only … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Boba Fett, dogtag chronicles, Grunt, grunt v. POG, Infantry, mechanized infantry, POG, Star Wars, Veteran perspective, What is a Grunt, What is a POG | Leave a comment

Why the Endless War Failed

Posted on October 25, 2021 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum The war in Afghanistan was a colossal failure that historians will speak about for generations to come. From the perspective of this veteran, who spent multiple years in Afghanistan in a number of different roles, the coalition … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Afghan American Relations, Afghanistan, ANA, ANP, Army, Combat Zone, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, GWOT, Military, OER, Officers | Leave a comment

Boba Fett was a POG

Posted on January 5, 2020 by psessum

File this under “things troops talk about on guard duty” but with the launch of The Mandalorian on Disney+ this is a timely topic to write about. I understand that some might have strong feelings about Boba Fett being a … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Boba Fett, Grunt, grunt v. POG, Grunts, Jedi, Mandalorian, Marines, POG, POGs, Random Thoughts, Special Operations, Star Wars, The Mandalorian, This is the way | Leave a comment

Hero’s Journey Home Step 5: The Turning Point

Posted on January 4, 2020 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum This is from five weeks into the Hero’s Journey Home project, a therapy program at the Seattle VA. I’m starting to see some benefits of this long term look at my military service. When I think about … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Experiences, Fort Lewis, Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, The hero's journey, the hero's journey home, VA, Veteran Experience | Leave a comment

Hero’s Journey Home Step 4: Mentors, Challenges, Trials and Descent

Posted on July 15, 2019 by psessum

By Peter Sessum Week four of the Veterans Administration therapy program. So far in our Hero’s Journey we have answered the call to adventure, crossed the threshold and now found mentors. Using the Matrix example, as the book often does, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Blogging, Combat deployment, Deployment, Experiences, Hero's Journey, Khost, Matrix, Military, Mission, My Deployment, PSYOP, So There I Was, Soldiers, The hero's journey, the hero's journey home, Veterans Affairs | Leave a comment

Why Dog and Pony Shows Suck: The Veteran Perspective

Posted on July 4, 2019 by psessum

As I lay awake in the wee hours of the Fourth of July, I can’t help but think of some poor private pulling guard on a Bradley Fighting vehicle in the middle of D.C. While politicians and the media are … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, Fourth of July, Holiday, Independence Day, July 4th, Military, Parade | 2 Comments

Hero’s Journey Home Step 3: The Call to Adventure

Posted on June 25, 2019 by psessum

By Peter Sessum Week three of the Hero’s Journey Home project. The process remains more of dipping a toe into the process rather than jumping into the deep end. Last week, we talked about what was our call to adventure. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, Enlisted, Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, Military, The Call to Adventure, The hero's journey, the hero's journey home, therapy, Veteran, Veterans, Veterans Affairs | Leave a comment

Hero’s Journey Home Step 2: The Beginning

Posted on June 17, 2019 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum There is a feeling of déjà vu as I write this because I initially started the Hero’s Journey program two years ago. Unfortunately, at the time, life got in the way. I was able to complete all … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, Call to adventure, Enlisted, Hero's Journey, Joining the military, Joseph Campbell, Military, The hero's journey, the hero's journey home, therapy, veteran support, Veterans, Veterans Affairs, Why I joined | Leave a comment

Sometimes the Military Does Some Good: Healing Over Hurting

Posted on June 9, 2018 by psessum

Sometimes the Military Does Some Good: Healing Over Hurting By Peter Sessum Hollywood loves a good war movie. They focus on invasions or combat, but the reconstruction doesn’t make the box office, or headlines. Like many other vets, I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, So There I Was | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, dogtag chronicles, GWOT, Kids, Medics, Military, My Deployment, Psychological Operations, PSYOP, So There I Was, Soldiers, Stuffed Animal, Village | Leave a comment