Blogs for your consideration...
Over 20 years' worth of observations, recommendations, and considerations on life, family, and the military lie within these narratives. Cheers!
“Readiness” is a buzzword heard across every branch of the U.S. military. As the nation’s ultimate line of defense, service members are expected to be fit, trained, and ready to serve at the will of the President—or, for the National Guard, their governor. In practice, readiness is measured through ...
No one likes to be threatened—physically, emotionally, or professionally. It’s bad leadership and bad business. Ultimatums are often disguised as choices, but in reality they present a single outcome at the expense of something significant. Do this or else.
If you report this safety violation, I’ll...
I regularly sit down with service members from every status and background, and I often find myself giving voice to the words they’ve been quietly avoiding: “Take the leap. Go for it.” But before I send anyone charging toward a new path, I hit pause—and start asking the uncomfortable questions that ...
I know no one joins the military because of the paid time off to have children—but it’s an incredible benefit, and one that’s still surprisingly rare in the civilian world. Over the past two decades, I’ve personally watched (and benefited from) how military parental leave policies have evolved. Even...
One of the luxuries of moving every two to four years on active duty is that you get a new boss regularly. Either you move or they move. If you loved your past boss, you have a mentor for life. If you don’t love them, it’s only a matter of time before a new one gets cycled through and you can move o...
I’m not much of a video gamer under any circumstance. But after watching my family enjoy themselves across a variety of dynamic and first-person shooter games, I have concluded that the military is pretty much a live-action version of those games. The military requires its members to continually lev...
Time and again, grumbles can be heard and felt whenever required group development is scheduled that is outside of normal operations. Whether the requirement is meant to build unit cohesion, improve physical fitness, or just inspire a competitive spirit, the initial reaction of most military members...
The Blended Retirement System (BRS) is the military’s 3-pronged approach at ensuring you have something to show for when you retire, whether that’s after a twenty or four year career. Most people are aware of the former retirement system that basically only provided a pension if you completed 20 yea...
