Blogs for your consideration...
Over 20 years' worth of observations, recommendations, and considerations on life, family, and the military lie within these narratives. Cheers!
After I left active duty, I joined the Army National Guard as a part-time member. As such, I needed full-time employment. After six months of applying to over 20 jobs and getting just four interviews, I was made an offer with only a week left of paid terminal leave. I was so stressed to that point a...
As leaders, we each play a role in the convoluted maze of information flow. Even with multiple forms of technology at our fingertips, leaders are still needed to relay messages, ask pertinent questions, and understand the dynamics of the human mind. We are empowered to divide and conquer, each ownin...
I applaud any person or group that genuinely wants to make a situation better. I appreciate them even more when they actually take action. Action will always outweigh passive sympathy. But when I watch leaders throw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks—without a deliberate plan—I want to hide un...
In my opinion, every retiring officer and NCO should be able to walk away from the military with a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in their hands. In addition to running daily operations (which are not projects), military leaders organize, coordinate, and supervise countless proj...
There aren’t many opportunities for individual expression in the military. Why would there be? At its core, the military is a team sport. Everyone wears the same uniform. Everyone lives by the same code of conduct. Everyone understands their responsibility to something larger than themselves. Across...
On the first day of basic training, I arrived at Ft. Leonard Wood alongside hundreds of other individuals. By graduation, we left as collective soldiers. That transformation didn’t happen by luck or policy. Every person who committed to the process agreed to be indoctrinated into a time-honored cult...
Ask ten service members at different points in their careers how they balance operational and garrison requirements and you’ll likely get ten different answers. For many, deployments represent the purest version of military service; the chance to finally do the job they trained for, focus on the mis...
At every major point in your military career, you need to pause and reassess. Does serving still make sense for you right now? What skills are you actually gaining along the way? How will your next move impact your family? Promotions, new duty stations, and exciting opportunities can look great on p...
If you’re lucky, you have parents, teachers, and guidance counselors guiding you through high school and helping you prepare for a relatively smooth transition into adulthood. Adulthood itself comes in many forms—entering the civilian workforce, attending college, or raising your right hand and join...
At the tactical and operational levels, today’s military force lives in a constant state of tension. The best-laid plans—innovation sprints, professional development goals, modernization roadmaps—can evaporate the moment a new problem drops from above. Strategic leaders pass down challenges (or, mor...
In the early stages of a military career, promotions tend to feel straightforward. Whether enlisted or officer, the first few advancements often follow a fairly predictable path. As long as a service member stays out of serious trouble—avoiding the obvious career killers like lying, cheating, or ste...
