Veteran’s Experiences
Transitioning Out? Some Things To Consider When Leaving Active Duty.
Somehow, while managing to finish a rough draft of my second book, get the kids to/from school, and catch some of the nice south swell hitting San Diego, I stole time away from my normal duties to write this article for ExpertBeacon.com. If you are getting out of the military and trying to figure out what to do next, this article has some good information for you. Leaving active duty is much more than a simple economic transition from one source of income to another. It is a life-transition that will impact your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Do yourself [...]
How Not To Promote A Book
So, I've been doing a fair amount of research into the right way to promote an upcoming book. Turns out that my strategy of neglecting to write blog posts in favor of focusing solely on the manuscript is recommended by no one. Anywhere. Ever. As I am likely going to self-publish this second book, it falls squarely on my shoulders to promote and market it as well as to write it. While those things can take place in sequence it is generally considered best to do them all at the same time. To that end, I will begin sharing more [...]
How To Help Your Veteran
The challenges of returning to normal life after the intensity of combat often prevent veterans from enjoying the freedoms they so dearly earned. But it doesn't have to be this way. There are things that you, as a family member of a returning veteran, can do to help smooth their transition home. Here's the link to an article I wrote for ExpertBeacon.com that provides concrete suggestions for how to do this. Dan Sheehan on ExpertBeacon.com
Veteran’s Reactions To Iraq Crisis: NPR Interview
I had the pleasure of sharing the radio stage with Andrew Bacevich and Mike Zacchea today. We appeared on "Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane" on WHYY Philadelphia to discuss the deteriorating situation in Iraq. My segment begins about 37 minutes into the interview, but Andrew's and Mike's segments are worth listening to as well. Here's a link to the interview: The Threatening Crisis In Iraq
Canned Tuna Fish and A New Project
I believe that most writers have an endless fountain of creativity. For them, ideas spring to mind and continue into their work without any effort. I imagine them sitting atop an almost unstoppable flow of well thought-out arguments, witty observations, and amazing fiction that covers a wide range of topics. That's not me. My creativity oozes out like molasses. Or maybe like the goo left behind a snail when it traverses the lawn. It's pretty useful stuff but there isn't a whole lot of it. In fact, my creativity oozes so slowly that if I divert the flow even a [...]
A Veteran’s Day Suggestion
Like many veterans, I have a list of dates that are important to me. They come and go with regularity throughout the year and rarely do they coincide with designated "holidays" like Veteran's Day. There are the normal ones, like birthdays and my anniversary, and then there are the others. 14 February: The day Teddy and Nes were killed when their huey went down. 23 March: An Nasiriyah. 22 July: The day I learned James had been killed in Afghanistan. 7 August: The day my younger brother crashed in Afghanistan. And others. I mark the passing of each of these [...]
NPR Interview: Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane
I was a guest today on WHYY Philadelphia's show "Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane." I really enjoyed speaking with Marty and appreciate the opportunity to share my story. Here's the link to the interview: Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane: Dan Sheehan
What’s A “Vet Center?”
My last combat tour was in 2004 and I just recently went to talk to a counsellor at my local Vet Center. Why did it take me nine years to do this? Mostly because I didn't know anything about the Vet Centers. I envisioned the Veterans Administration as a monolithic organization that sucks you in and sticks pills down your throat as soon as you walk in the door. There was no way I was going to put myself in that position. This post is designed to shed some light on the misperceptions I had about the VA, specifically the [...]
Why Do We Shun Help?
It's no secret that the vast majority of people in distress can get relief by asking for help. Indeed, most issues get worse when ignored, not better. This is especially true for veterans where adjustment issues and PTSD mutate into insurmountable obstacles for the lack of professional assistance. So why, if help is available, do we prolong our suffering by refusing to ask for help? Because that's how we were brought up. I don't mean by our parents or society. I mean by the military. The changes a person goes through when joining the military are designed to prepare them [...]
Syria: Once More Into The Breach?
Forces are being readied for possible US intervention in Syria. These same forces have been engaged in constant combat for over a decade. They are tactically and technically prepared for whatever mission the Commander In Chief assigns them. They will carry out this mission with the honor, sacrifice, and dedication America expects from it’s warriors. But their success will come at tremendous personal cost. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Beware The Coming Storm, veterans preparing for their next deployment rarely try to unpack the emotional pain and suffering from their last one. Experiences and emotions from multiple deployments [...]
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