Tag Archives: Afghan

My Experience with “Toxic Leadership”

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Archie

By: Matt Archibald Recently the media has been paying attention to the issue of “Toxic Leadership” within the military. An article in the Washington Post cited several examples involving verbally-abusive generals, DoD Senior Executives, and various other examples. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Military Leadership | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, British Army, British soldier, Canada, Canadian Army, Combat Zone, Corporal Neathway, current-events, Daily Mail, dogtag chronicles, Enlisted, Experiences, Helmand, Helmand Province, Leadership, Military, Military leadership, NCO, Parachute Regiment, Regimental Sergeant Major, Toxic leadership, Veterans, Vets, Wounded warrior | 1 Comment

The Freedom Run, a Run to Remember

Posted on October 22, 2013 by psessum

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 | 1 Comment

Whistle-blowers are not all created equal

Posted on August 24, 2013 by psessum

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 | Leave a comment

The Infamous Dump Truck Mission

Posted on August 5, 2013 by psessum

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 Silence of the Lion

Posted on September 9, 2012 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Eleven years ago there was a suicide attack that would have a major impact on world events. It was ordered by Osama Bin Laden and carried out by al-Qaeda operatives. It was Sept. 9, 2001 and took … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Real Heroes | Tagged 2001, 9/9/01, Afghan, Afghanistan, Ahmed Shah Massoud, al-Qaeda, Combat Zone, current-events, john o neill, Leadership, Massoud, Massoud Day, middle-east, Military, Osama bin Laden, Panjshir, Panjshir Valley, Russians, Sept. 9, Taliban, The Lion of Panjshir | 1 Comment

When Did Honorable Service Stop Being Enough?

Posted on July 2, 2012 by psessum

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 →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, AGT, Army, current-events, Fakers, Grunt, Jason Truitt, Liars, My Deployment, Navy SEAL, POG, Posers, POW, PSYOP, SGT Tim Poe, Special Forces, Steve Jordan, Stolen Valor, Stolen Valor Act, tim poe, Vets, Victim, Victimless Crime | 1 Comment

Be Polite and Respectful, but Have a Plan to Kill Everyone in the Room

Posted on June 13, 2012 by psessum

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 | Leave a comment

The Inherent Racism of Star Trek

Posted on May 7, 2012 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum When you say that Star Trek is racist, geeks around the world freak out. They want to point out the diversity in the Federation and lament on how a black woman was fifth in command of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghan, Afghan American Relations, Afghanistan, Army, Combat Zone, Cultural Awareness, Deployment Discussions, Experiences, My Deployment, PSYOP, Race Relations, Racism, Special Forces, Star Trek, Vets | 9 Comments

Hazing in the Military

Posted on March 29, 2012 by psessum

By Peter Sessum In April 1994, I was standing on a drop zone after the final jump in Airborne School. Now, I was a paratrooper. It was a proud moment for me. I was still a new Private, fresh out … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Chen, Combat Zone, Danny Chen, Harassment, Hazing, Soldier Suicide, Suicide | 6 Comments

U.S. Soldiers Murdering Civilians is an Anomaly in War

Posted on March 28, 2012 by psessum

By Peter Sessum In 2010 in my mass media law class at the University of Washington a student stated matter of factly that soldiers are specifically trained to target children. I don’t really blame him, he is only going off … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Beanie baby, charity, Chris Hedges, Combat Zone, Kids, PTSD, toys, Trauma, Village | 1 Comment