Tag Archives: Military

What it Feels Like to be a Veteran

Posted on September 24, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum Looking at pictures of a military airplane bone-yard I couldn’t help but think that is what it felt like to be a veteran. Made for a specific purpose and once the purpose is served, discarded and left … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Air Force, Army, Discharge, Experiences, featured, Grunt, Infantry, Life Skills, Marines, Military, Navy, PSYOP, Sailor, Soldier, Training, Vet, Veteran, Veterans, Vets, What being a vet feels like, WWII | 2 Comments

Where were you on 9/11? Story from Germany

Posted on September 11, 2013 by psessum

By: Dave James WARNING! These are the random brain-droppings of an old man and the veracity of my recollection is becoming suspect… I DO, however, tell a good story. So any inconsistency from actual occurrences, even in the face of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, So There I Was | Tagged 2001, 9-11, 9/11, 9/11/01, Anti terrorism, Experiences, Force Protection, Germany, Guard Duty, Harassment, Leadership, Management, Military, Never Forget, Remember the Fallen, September 11, Setember 11 2001, So There I Was, Training, Veterans, Vets, World Trade Center, World Trade Towers, WTC | Leave a 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

Random Memory: Breakdown of a leadership challenge

Posted on August 18, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum How someone handles an issue will determine if they are a leader or a manager. Everyone wants to think they are a leader, but in reality, few actually are. Here is an issue that I encountered as … Continue reading →

Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, Military Leadership, Random Memories, So There I Was | Tagged 1-5 Inf, 25th Infantry Division, AR 670-1, Army, Experiences, Fort Lewis, Grunt, Infantry, Leadership, Leadership v. Management, Management, Military, NCO, PFC, platoon sergeant, Private, Private First Class, Promotion, So There I Was, Soldiers, Squad Leader | Leave a comment

Girl Among the Grunts

Posted on August 17, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum In the late ’90s I was part of 1-26 Infantry in Germany and we almost never saw women. In Schweinfurt, the military garrison was split into two and our part didn’t have any women soldiers. So when … Continue reading →

Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, So There I Was | Tagged 1-26 INF, Army, Blue Spaders, Bosnia, Camp Dobol, Experiences, Grunt, Infantry, infantry battalion, M106, M577, mechanics, mechanized infantry, Military, Motorpool, My Deployment, sexual harassment training, So There I Was, Soldier | 1 Comment

Sometimes You Just Gotta Dance a Jig

Posted on August 10, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum So there I was, smoking a cigar and dancing on a bunker in Afghanistan, no shit. Why am I dancing on a bunker in Afghanistan? From an existential perspective, why is anyone anywhere doing anything? In truth, … Continue reading →

Posted in So There I Was | Tagged Afghanistan, Army, BAF, Bagram, Blue Falcon, Brothers in Arms, Bunker, Cigar, Combat Zone, dogtag chronicles, Experiences, funny, General Order #1, good times, Military, Military friends, My Deployment, PSYOP, PSYOP reclass, So There I Was, Veterans, Vodka | 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

Why Booms are Bad

Posted on August 1, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum As the fireworks were going off around the neighborhood right before the Fourth of July I was asked if they bothered me and I had to think about it for a minute. I can honestly say that … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Kicking Some Knowledge | Tagged Army, Combat Zone, dust on my boots, Experiences, featured, Fireworks, FOB, Fourth of July, Grunt, IED, July 4th, Life Skills, Marines, Military, mortar, My Deployment, POG, PTSD, rocket, rocket attack, So There I Was, Soldier, suicide bomber, SVBIED, Training, transportation, VBIED, Veterans, Vets, vietnam vet | Leave a comment

The Honor is in the Serving, Not the Dying

Posted on March 22, 2013 by psessum

For obvious reasons I am connected to a number of military and veteran blogs and social media profiles and lately I have found a disturbing trend. Too many people glorify dying for their country or the desire to do so. … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged Afghanistan, Air Force, Army, Combat Zone, Fallen, Marines, Military, Navy, politics, Remember the Fallen, Sailor, Soldier, Veterans | 2 Comments

The Day I Quit Airborne School

Posted on January 11, 2013 by psessum

By: Peter Sessum I am very much against Stolen Valor, heck, I have written about it, and here I stand, a fake, a phony a charlatan. Airborne School can be tough and you can quit at any point. But if … Continue reading →

Posted in Kicking Some Knowledge, So There I Was | Tagged Airborne, Airborne School, Army, C130, Enlisted, Experiences, Fort Benning, Fort Knox, Grunt, Infantry, Jump school, Military, paratrooper, Training | 21 Comments