No One Likes Being a “Has Been” by Nick Perna “I Was” . Depending on what your profession was these can be the two saddest words in the English language. No one likes being a “has been”. For those who served their country this is especially true. When the glory days of riding in helicopters, shooting belt fed weapons and facing deadly threats are in the past, we feel … [Read more...]
Army Life: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Army Life: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things by Nick Perna If you take two privates and lock them in a closet with a five hundred pound steel BB, when you come back an hour later they will either have broken it or lost it.” As quoted from my first Platoon Sergeant We truly get the best and brightest in the armed forces. But, along with them, comes everyone … [Read more...]
Newsflash: The News is for Profit
Newsflash: The News is for Profit by Nick Perna In school, I remember learning about the Spanish-American War. One of the reasons cited for the US going to war against Spain was the alleged sinking of the USS Maine by the Spaniards. What actually happened to the Maine is unclear (many assume it was accident that caused it to sink), but what is clear is the part the Media … [Read more...]
“The 90% Solution:” Managing Your Boss’s Military Ego
"The 90% Solution:" Managing Your Boss's Military Ego by Nick Perna Every organization has an internal hierarchy. Whether it be the US Army, Hewlett Packard, or the Federal government they all have a multi-tiered chain of command through which all concepts, products, ideas, memos, projects and so on need to be routed through. Battalion Commanders, C.E.O.s, Chiefs Of … [Read more...]
Special Order/Special Interest: A Satirical Political Rant Targeting… Everybody
Special Order/Special Interest: A Satirical Political Rant Targeting... Everybody by Nick Perna “Well, the one on the right was on the bottom And the one in the middle was on the top And the one on the left got a broken arm And the guy on his rear, said, "Oh dear" From the song, “The one on the right” by Johnny Cash. _____ A man walks into McDonald’s. “Can I take your … [Read more...]
Tactical Regret
“A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once”. William Shakespeare I’ve had a lot of interesting jobs in the tactical world. The common denominators for these gigs were the fact that they were hard, dangerous and the pay sucked. So, when a guy offered me $30 an hour to babysit some rich dude who wanted a hired gun in … [Read more...]
“We the People of the United States…”
Way back in the 1970s when I was a kid a record came out entitled, “Free To Be, You and Me”. It had such hit songs as, “It's All Right to Cry” and other snowflake soliloquies. It was revolutionary in the fact that it explored gender equality issues and other sensitive topics for the first time. One of the main themes throughout the record was the importance of being unique, an … [Read more...]
The Most Important Lesson I Learned From My First Sergeant
The Most Important Lesson I Learned From My First Sergeant by Nick Perna First Sergeants are the linchpin of the military community. They maintain tradition and continuity in a world where platoon leaders, company commanders, battalion commanders and others are constantly coming and going. They are experts in their field. An Infantry First Sergeant for example, has served … [Read more...]
“Not Quite One Weekend A Month:” Disaster Relief With The National Guard
"Not Quite One Weekend A Month:" Disaster Relief With The National Guard by Nick Perna In the summer of 1992 I was a college student on the “four and a half year” plan at a college in North Florida. I was in Army ROTC, waiting to get commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. At the time, ROTC cadets could serve part time in National Guard units as part of the Simultaneous … [Read more...]
“Thank You For Your Service.” Yeah, Right.
This article first appeared in The Havok Journal on 21FEB15. _____ By the time I deployed I had served in the Army in some capacity for over 10 years. I spent 3 years on active duty with the 82nd Airborne in the post-Gulf War era where I fully expected to go to war but never did. I left active duty in 1996 and spent time in various National Guard and Reserve Units. I always … [Read more...]
