Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[November 29, 2020] He came over to shake my hand. My new neighbor next door, Mr. Jed Neidigh, had a big smile, a head full of white hair, and a firm grip. Howdy! He said as he welcomed my wife and me into the neighborhood. “I see you’re an Army man, like me.” Mr. Neidigh was the doughboy… Read More »
[November 28, 2020] The hero’s journey is a common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed.1 Hugh O’Flaherty, a Roman Catholic monsignor, fits that mold. Monsignor O’Flaherty is a hero for saving the lives of thousands of Allied POWs and Jews… Read More »
[November 26, 2020] The study of war is something that I do. The majority of my studies and articles I’ve written are about the “how” to conduct war. However, two crucial questions arise; what causes war, and what can we do about ending war. In this article, I will discuss U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen-Points to end all… Read More »
[November 25, 2020] My best Italian friend goes by the name Marco Polo. He’s a real go-getter, Vietnam veteran, and family man. In Vietnam, he was with the 1/4th U.S. Marines. Their motto, Whatever it Takes. In a nutshell, that describes the U.S. Marine Corps and my friend Marco. His life’s story should someday be a book. If… Read More »
[November 24, 2020] While writing an article yesterday on Good Sense, I was simultaneously thinking about the issue of morality and its impact on leadership. A host of questions sprung up that I was not prepared to answer. I will address one of the crucial questions here today. Leaders are granted certain powers and responsibilities. If we were… Read More »
[November 23, 2020] And so it began. My best childhood friend, Wilson, and I would fight over the most trivial matter. Often, we couldn’t even remember what the fight was about. One fistfight, the one I do remember, was when Wilson said I had no good sense. I wouldn’t say I liked the insult, so I slugged him… Read More »
[November 22, 2020] Today’s article is not about dogs and ponies. Some readers might be disappointed because they interpret the title of my articles quite seriously. I’m using the phrase as a colloquium to mean “some elaborate or overblown affair or event.” I retired from the U.S. Army, and, unsurprisingly, I have witnessed many dog and pony shows,… Read More »
[November 20, 2020] Several years ago, I wrote about core American values to set a baseline for my leadership blog (see links here, here, and here). Core values say a lot about who we are and where we are going. This is why I spend so much of my time today with our military veterans; they understand what… Read More »
[November 19, 2020] I remember being called a lunatic by several of my commanders. I was an Infantry Company Commander when it first happened. My boss at the time, a Lieutenant Colonel, said that I was a “crazy man and lunatic” when it came to battle tactics. I ran across a poem by Vietnam War correspondent Joe Galloway… Read More »
[November 18, 2020] Just the other day, a note was sent to me from a long-time friend from my days as a young man. At my friend’s request, I mailed him a list of books that I had recently read. These were books that required a bit of thinking to understand fully. He asked because he was starting… Read More »