Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[September 8, 2020] In early 2007, I was selected for command of a Brigade. When I was notified, I was in the middle of planning and executing U.S. President George Bush’s troop “surge” in the Iraq War. I was never busier, and yet, I had dropped into my lap one the most important assignments of my career. What… Read More »
[September 7, 2020] You’ve probably been told that Labor Day in the United States is a unique tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of America. And, yes, that is true. But another perspective says that it’s also about hard work and family. We should ask ourselves why. Why is it that… Read More »
[September 6, 2020] There is not a person I know that hasn’t been surprised by something coming at them out of nowhere. One day, you get up and run out the door to work and, while driving along minding your own business, a car sideswipes your new pickup truck. Indeed the car was in your blind spot, and… Read More »
[September 5, 2020] I don’t do movie reviews, but I do comment on them occasionally. My wife told me that doing a “war movie review” might be a good idea, and I should consider starting. Here is my first attempt. The movie I chose today for a review is We Were Soldiers (2002) starring Mel Gibson. The movie… Read More »
[September 4, 2020] Look at those people in the world that we admire most. Often, these are sports figures; people on a team that possess a positive attitude, which are good sportsmen against the competition and can lift up others. While these folks work for their own personal aim to be the best they can be, there is… Read More »
[September 3, 2020] I have no idea how she lasted so long as a senior civilian working for the Department of the Army. Beatty Jones (not her real name) held a prominent, high-ranking job in a 2-star U.S. Army command headquarters. But it was her personal philosophy that rules were not for her but only for the little… Read More »
[September 2, 2020] Drill Sergeant Bryant was about making good people better.1 I remember his voice in my head even today, and his favorite comment was ‘You’re not good enough, PVT Satterfield.’ It was his way of motivating both me and my platoon to do better. Bryant was the old fashioned type of Drill Sergeant. He was a… Read More »
[September 1, 2020] Showman, huckster, and circus businessman P.T. Barnum is famous for being part of America’s entertainment industry. He is a legend now, more than 150 years after his exploits. Yet, deviating from his traditional methods of entertainment, in 1850, Mr. Barnum brought the greatest opera performer in the world from Europe to the United States. This… Read More »
[August 31, 2020] By early 2005, my unit had been in combat in Iraq for nearly a full year.1 One day, with little notice, our commander told us to prepare for a Congressional Delegation visit. At first thought, we were incredulous. What could a group of Congressmen do for us? That was when we learned about the caring… Read More »
[August 30, 2020] At the Battle of Cowpens, January 1781, American Revolutionary General Daniel Morgan fought the British and won. After repeated losses to the British, American forces were demoralized, beaten, and poorly lead. Morgan changed the way Americans fought, and for this, we can learn what traits it takes for a senior commander to win. What were… Read More »