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Tag Archives: Experiences
Hero’s Journey Home Step 4: Mentors, Challenges, Trials and Descent
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
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No matter what you think you are made of, you are most likely wrong
By: Peter Sessum The History Channel recently completed the first season of The Selection, their social experiment where they took 30 civilian through a mock special operations selection course. I know it wasn’t their intention, but my veteran friends and … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, So There I Was
Tagged Air Force, Army, Basic Training, Boot Camp, Burpees, Cross Fit, CrossFit, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, Fun Mudder, Grunt, History Channel, If Only Ranger, Infantry, Life Skills, Military, navy seals, POG, PSYOP, Quit, quitters, So There I Was, Soldier, Spartan, Spartan Run, Special Forces, The Selection, Training, Veterans, Vets
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Random Memory: The Power of the Sham Shield
By Peter Sessum A recent post on social media about the attitudes of the enlisted ranks in the Army prompted me to write this. The breakdown of ranks were pretty accurate but I thought the Specialist one was too limiting … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership, Random Memories
Tagged AR 670-1, Army, CSM, dogtag chronicles, E-4, E4, Enlisted, Experiences, Germany, Leadership, Life Skills, Management, Military, Military leadership, Rank, Rnadom Memory, Sergeant Major, Sham Shield, So There I Was, Spec-4 Mafia, Specialist, Veterans, Vets
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The Duality of the American Veteran
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
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I am Going to Cut Brian Williams Some Slack
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
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What it Feels Like to be a Veteran: Harry Potter
By: Peter Sessum The military experience can be difficult to put into words that civilians understand. Not that they lack the mental capacity, but it is hard to put it in terms that they can relate to. Military life is … Continue reading
Where Were You on 9/11? From Memorial Service to War
By: Forrest Parks It was near the end of the day. We were all hanging out in the barracks waiting for the memorial service for one of our buddies that had been found dead in the barracks a few days … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged 9/11, 9/11/01, Army, current-events, Experiences, Germany, Sept 11, September 11, Soldier
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AAR of the Seattle VA After a Five Day Stay
By: Peter Sessum The Department of Veterans Affairs, as an organization, gets a bad rap. Every time someone in their leadership does something stupid the entire organization gets attacked. As veteran I know what it is like to be punished … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge
Tagged Experiences, Geneva Conventions, Seattle VAMC, VAMC, Veterans Affairs
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Random Memory: Sledding in Bosnia
By: Peter Sessum I started the Dogtag Chronicles because of experiences I had on campus at the University of Washington. Too many people seemed to think people in the military are a bunch of clone troopers waiting to be sent … Continue reading
Posted in Random Memories, So There I Was
Tagged 1-26 INF, Army, Big Red One, Blue Spaders, Bosnia, Camp Dobol, Deployment, dogtag chronicles, Enlisted, Experiences, FOB, Grunt, IFOR, Infantry, Life Skills, Military, Mortars, Mount Vis, My Deployment, NATO, Operation Joint Endeavor, POG, SFOR, So There I Was, University of Washington
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Hero’s Journey Home Step 5: The Turning Point
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 →