Tag Archives: Afghanistan

I am Going to Cut Brian Williams Some Slack

Posted on September 28, 2015 by psessum

By Peter Sessum The Pope’s visit to America heralded the return of Brian Williams to news. While vets will long remember his statements and liken them to stolen valor, civilians will soon forget. As a vet, I do not take … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Brian Williams, Experiences, helicopter, Infantry, Iraq, Military, MSNBC, My Deployment, PSYOP, Service, So There I Was, Special Forces, Stolen Valor, Taliban, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

When Hearts and Minds Fail: The Infamous Matchbooks

Posted on July 14, 2015 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum The hunt for Osama bin Laden took far longer than it should have. For years everyone was wondering how the most famous man in the world stayed hidden in Afghanistan with the might and resources of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, So There I Was | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, AK-47, al-Qaeda, Army, Combat Zone, Cultural Awareness, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, Kandahar, Leadership, Life Skills, matchbooks, Military, Military leadership, Mission, My Deployment, Osama bin Laden, Pashtun, Psychological Operations, PSYOP, PSYOP product, So There I Was, Soldier, Taliban, Urdu, Village | Leave a comment

Be Grateful for the Support or it Will Go Away

Posted on February 26, 2015 by psessum

By Peter Sessum In a recent New York Times (NYT) article veterans weighed in on how they felt about civilians thanking them for their service. I have talked to a number of vets about this and while we all agreed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Army, Blue Falcons, Civilians, Combat Zone, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, Marines, Military, politics, PSYOP, Service, Thank you, Veterans, Vets | 2 Comments

Stop Contributing to Post Traumatic Stress: Vets are not all crazy

Posted on August 15, 2014 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Every veteran has heard this in some way, shape or form. Usually by some uninformed individual that is in no way qualified to make that diagnosis. One reason why it is one of the more powerful ways … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Army, Bully, Combat Zone, crazy, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Harassment, Infantry, Life Skills, Military, politics, Post Traumatic Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTS, PTSD, Shell Shock, stop contributing to post traumatic stress, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

The Big Trade

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Archie

By: Matt Archibald With all the press reports surrounding the release of Bowe Bergdahl, we haven’t seen a lot concerning the 5 detainees that we “traded” for this young man. There have been a few reports here and there, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Abdul Haq Wasiq, Afghan, Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, Bowe Bergdahl, current-events, Haqqani, Hazara, Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mazar-e Sharif, Military, Mohammed Nabi Omari, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Mullah Noorullah Noori, Mullah Omar, Osama bin Laden, revenge, SGT Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban, Usama Bin Laden | Leave a comment

Bergdahl Deserves a Trial not a Another Promotion

Posted on June 3, 2014 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum There are a lot of unknowns surrounding the disappearance, capture and finally the release of Bowe Bergdahl but one thing that isn’t in question is his rank. It is a minor issue but now that there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Army, Bergdahl, Bowe Bergdahl, Combat Zone, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Enlisted, Military, Military Promotions, Promotion, Promotion board, Sergeant, SGT Bowe Bergdahl | 1 Comment

Deserter Returns to Undeserved Hero’s Welcome

Posted on June 1, 2014 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Five years ago this month Army Private First Class (PFC) Bowe Bergdahl walked off his firebase in Afghanistan and was promptly captured by the Taliban. Last week his release was secured by trading five high ranking Taliban … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, American Captive, Army, Bowe Bergdahl, Combat Zone, current-events, FOB, Grunt, Infantry, Military, politics, POW, SGT Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban | 3 Comments

Not Everything Bad Can be Compared to War

Posted on May 30, 2014 by psessum

Minor Inconveniences in Your Life are not War When people make comparisons they look for something obvious to make their point. Often, someone looks for something that is universally recognized as bad and doing that diminishes the life and experiences … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Celebrity, Combat Zone, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, Gweneth Paltrow, Military | Leave a comment

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