Tag Archives: current-events

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

Where Were You on 9/11? From the School House to the Sandbox

Posted on September 12, 2021 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum It was, admittedly, an inauspicious start to the day the world changed. So, there I was, at the Defense Language School (DLI), no shit. I was on the unit volleyball team, practice had ended and I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Never Forget, Random Memories, So There I Was | Tagged 9-11, 9/11, Afghan, Afghanistan, Afghans, Contractor, Counter Narcotics, current-events, Deployment, DLI, Experiences, Freedom Run, GWOT, Kandahar, Military, NYC, Sept 11, September 11, Taliban | Leave a comment

The Afghanistan exit was a Charlie Foxtrot; Because of course it was

Posted on August 25, 2021 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Like many other veterans I have been asked what I thought about the recent events in Afghanistan a lot in the past week. My response is always the same, “America’s pull-out game is weak.” This was always … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Army, Combat Zone, current-events, Evacuation, Kabul, Military, OEF, Veterans, Vets | 1 Comment

Don’t Thank Vets on Memorial Day

Posted on May 26, 2017 by psessum

By Peter Sessum This is one of those things that drives veterans crazy, admittedly some take it too far. Civilians don’t see why it matters and while they don’t intend to offend, some do not fully grasp why it bothers … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Never Forget | Tagged Afghan, Afghanistan, Air Force, Armed Forces Day, Army, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Fallen, Memorial Day, Military, Navy, Remember the Fallen, Service, Soldier, Thank a vet, Veteran's Day, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

You fight on your terms but you win on their terms

Posted on May 4, 2017 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Why did the U.S. win WWII? it wasn’t because we coordinated with the Soviets to overrun Berlin or we dropped a couple atom bombs over Japan. That is how we fought the war, we won because both Germany and Japan surrendered. That is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Enlisted, Fight on your terms, Life Skills, Military, Military leadership, North Korea, North Korea Tunnel, Officers, politics, Special Forces, Veterans, Vets, win on their terms, WWII, Zombies | Leave a comment

Why the Marines United situation is so messed up

Posted on April 5, 2017 by psessum

Some 30,000 people joined the Marines United Facebook group to share porn or images of women without their consent and to name and harass the women who appeared on their site. After it was successfully shut down, MU 2.0 formed … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, Boobs, current-events, deployhment, dogtag chronicles, Grunt, Infantry, Mad DogMattis, Marines, Marines United, Porn, Veterans, Vets | 1 Comment

ROE and why civilians scare me

Posted on February 18, 2017 by psessum

By Peter Sessum People tend to think that other people think like them. So when a civilian says he is worried about vets becoming violent I know it is not because he has an insight into the military mind. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Aaron Ybarra, active shooter, Afghan, Afghanistan, Allen Ivanov, Army, Centcom, Civilians, Combat Zone, current-events, dogtag chronicles, Kabul, Mass Shooting, Military, ROE, Rules of Engagement, School Shooting, Seattle Pacific University, SPU, the dogtag chronicles, Training, UN, United Nations, Veterans, Vets | 2 Comments

Suicide and Support: Don’t Be an Elitist Asshole

Posted on November 22, 2016 by behrlylit

It’s been over a year now since I wrote the first draft of this article. Reading over it is pretty excruciating, it reads like a poor attempt at controlling an angry rant. Probably because that’s what it was. The initial … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged 22 a day, 9/11, Afghanistan, Civilian, Combat Zone, Contractor, current-events, FOB, Iraq, Post Traumatic Stress, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Soldier Suicide, Suicide, suicide bomber, technically a vet, VA, veteran support, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

Protesting the national anthem distracts from your cause but you have the right to do it

Posted on September 10, 2016 by psessum

As patriot, proud of my service, I can say without reservation that I don’t give a good damn if a football player stands for the national anthem or not. In fact, having the choice to stand or not it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged 49ers, American, Army, Colin Kaepernick, Colin Kaepernick protest, current-events, dogtag chronicles, douchenozzle, Flag, Football, Grunt, Kaepernick, Military, National Anthem, protest, Soldier, Veterans, Vets | Leave a comment

The Duality of the American Veteran

Posted on October 29, 2015 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Serving in the military is one of those few jobs that brand you for life. No matter what you do, you will always be a veteran. It is one of the few professions that stays with you … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Air Force, Army, current-events, Experiences, Life Skills, Marines, Military, Navy, PTSD, Soldier, Veterans, Vets | 1 Comment