Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[June 15, 2023] Growing up in the Deep South during segregation, I was largely unaware of the racial divisions separating us as a nation. I went to an all-white public elementary and junior high school in a small town in Northeast Louisiana. The only blacks I saw were those living in poverty on the outskirts of town or… Read More »
[June 14, 2023] I attended a Flag Day luncheon of local Veterans and their spouses two days ago. Annually, we kick off the Summer on the nearest Monday with a luncheon to celebrate our national flag, Old Glory. The event was unique because everyone there was an American Patriot and loved our nation and flag. Attending such an… Read More »
[June 13, 2023] I was one of those army officers who somehow managed to get plenty of medals during my 40 years. These medals were for various military campaigns, for bravery in combat, or for doing a good job. I might be unusual, but I never wanted to get a “medal” for doing something good. What I really… Read More »
[June 12, 2023] Billy C., a reader of my blog, a couple of days ago, drew my attention to the great Arkansas State Police troopers, their courage on the job, and the fan base of those who follow their exploits on social media. Curious, I looked on YouTube to discover he was spot on with his observation. What… Read More »
[June 11, 2023] In a recent article by Gary Saul Morson titled Do Russians Miss War?, he asks appropriate questions about the Russian culture of war (link here). This is not that dissimilar to two articles I wrote a while back that asked Do you miss war? , and Why Soldiers Miss War. Morson’s main point is that… Read More »
Edit [June 11, 2023] The funeral yesterday was conducted with just the right amount of planning to make it one of the best attended that I’ve seen in a long time. Many from the community were there to give their respects to the family of PFC Hartmann. There was no political grandstanding or long speeches. It was full… Read More »
[June 9, 2023] Family. Family. Family. I’ll update my letters to my granddaughter in an ongoing series for future reading. My granddaughter is the oldest of my grandchildren and the only girl. And she is a very active child and smart as a whip. Today’s topic is family. Regular readers know my stance on families and will not… Read More »
[June 8, 2023] As a new Platoon Leader in the U.S. Army Infantry, my Soldiers were always comparing me to their previous leader. And oh, that Lieutenant did not do so well. Those comparisons were usually unflattering and frankly I was not too happy about it (for professional reasons). My commander told me to just get use to… Read More »
[June 7, 2023] When I was a young Infantry captain and company commander, I published my command philosophy (i.e., my leadership philosophy) – good thing because it forced me to think about how I would act and how I thought soldiers would perceive me. I had spent time reading books on famous leaders from history, especially World War… Read More »
[June 6, 2023] Codenamed Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied France had long been coming. Success was an outgrowth of the many leadership lessons from the failures at Dunkirk and other battlefields. Those lessons were hard-earned and cost the lives of tens of thousands of military and civilians. Yet, what did the military and civilian leadership gain from… Read More »