Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Today's guest post comes from Tim Shea (@trshea88), a former U.S. Army Captain hailing from Joint Base Lewis-McChord's now defunct 4th Stryker Brigade. In 2014, Tim traded the green pastures of Army life for the exhilarating, cutthroat world of economic development consulting. He maintains his sanity by writing here. To all the badge, tab, etc. lovers …
Continue reading "A Combat Badge Does Not a Soldier Make"
Dear Dad, You mentioned that you would like to know what my days are like now that I have graduated from the Raithal Imperial Academy, and since I'm on staff duty with not a lot to do, I figured I'd tell you. As you know, I did not get my first choice of assignment to …
Continue reading "A Day in the Life of an Imperial Staff Officer"
Everything we do in the Army seems somehow dehumanizing. We remove individual identity at basic training, in order to meld individuals into a cohesive group. Individuals are referred to by their rank or just their last name. Our entire careers can be summed up on one or two sheets of paper (usually incorrectly). While …
Continue reading "Battle Staff Made Human"
This is a response to the CCLKOW post by Gary M. Klein on Social Media and the Military Leader. Read the post and join the discussion on Twitter #CCLKOW. Last week I was privileged to take part in a Military-Twitter Exchange Summit hosted at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, which brought leaders from across the …
Continue reading "The Birds of War: Twitter as a Professional Development Tool"
This post first appeared on the blog Point of Decision. As I write this, the U.S. military is involved in armed and lethal operations in Iraq and Syria. While not officially a war, it is the most significant and — I hate to use the word — kinetic operation the military is involved in. Why then, as a member …
Continue reading "What if We Had a War and No One Knew?"
This article first appeared on Point of Decision, August 24, 2015. Rock of the Marne. 3rd Infantry Division, WWI. DA Picture. There are several governing metrics for unit commanders in the Army: physical fitness, marksmanship, and military education. Each Soldier is required to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test, qualify on their assigned weapon, and be trained …
Continue reading "History: The Overlooked Military Discipline"
When I was a shiny new soldier, fresh out of Army basic and advanced training, I was placed in the rear detachment of a unit that was forward deployed. There were a few other brand new soldiers in the detachment, but quite of few of the soldiers were coming off of Active Duty into the …
Today, we will hear a lot about giving thanks, and giving, and family, and food, and sales, and consumer demographics, and (if you live in the Northeast) snow. There is always a lot of talking and yes, I could rant about consumerism, commercialism, and the basic cheapening of values. But I want to instead talk …
Continue reading "On Giving Thanks: My Perspective"
In the timeless children's classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the character of the professor is attempting to explain how there can be parallel universes to the children, but is encountering disbelief. "Bless me," he says, "It's all in Plato. What DO they teach them in these schools?" Similarly, one could tell …
Continue reading "Tilting at Windmills: Army Officer Education versus Training"
First things first: yes, I still have all my toy soldiers. There are buckets and boxes (yes, plural of both) in the basement of my parents' house, awaiting my maturity to adulthood to be given to another child. News flash: I refuse to mature. As a kid, I was obsessed with war. In the most …
Continue reading "Backyard Battles: Childhood, Military, and Perception"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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