Posted on Jul 10, 2015
Matt Gallagher here, author of Kaboom, stopping by for a Q&A on Tuesday the 14th of July. What questions do you have?
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"Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War" by Matt Gallagher
When Lieutenant Matt Gallagher first arrived in Iraq in 2007, it was all too surreal. In the midst of a shift in U.S. policy from lethal operations to counte...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYymSklf7jc
*Post your questions below*
From RallyPoint Staff:
We’re excited to welcome CPT Matt Gallagher, author of “Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War” for a live Q&A July 14 at 4:00pm EST. CPT Gallagher deployed to Iraq in 2007 with 2-14 Cav (https://www.rallypoint.com/units/2-14-cav-2nd-squadron-14th-cavalry-regiment-schofield-barracks-hi). The book was inspired by his wartime blog, "Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal," which was untimely shut down by his COC.
He's also the co-editor of, and contributor to, "Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War," a literary fiction anthology penned by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and family members. His novel "Youngblood," set during the American withdrawal from Iraq, is forthcoming in February 2016. He has written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and Boston Review, among others, and lives with his wife and dog in Brooklyn.
CPT Gallagher was also fortunate enough to spend some time in Iraq with our very own Co-Founder CPT Aaron Kletzing.
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend grabbing a digital or print copy of this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Kaboom-Embracing-Suck-Savage-Little/dp/ [login to see]
It may have particular relevance to our OIF veterans on RallyPoint
CPT Aaron Kletzing
*Post your questions below*
From RallyPoint Staff:
We’re excited to welcome CPT Matt Gallagher, author of “Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War” for a live Q&A July 14 at 4:00pm EST. CPT Gallagher deployed to Iraq in 2007 with 2-14 Cav (https://www.rallypoint.com/units/2-14-cav-2nd-squadron-14th-cavalry-regiment-schofield-barracks-hi). The book was inspired by his wartime blog, "Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal," which was untimely shut down by his COC.
He's also the co-editor of, and contributor to, "Fire and Forget: Short Stories from the Long War," a literary fiction anthology penned by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and family members. His novel "Youngblood," set during the American withdrawal from Iraq, is forthcoming in February 2016. He has written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and Boston Review, among others, and lives with his wife and dog in Brooklyn.
CPT Gallagher was also fortunate enough to spend some time in Iraq with our very own Co-Founder CPT Aaron Kletzing.
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend grabbing a digital or print copy of this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Kaboom-Embracing-Suck-Savage-Little/dp/ [login to see]
It may have particular relevance to our OIF veterans on RallyPoint
CPT Aaron Kletzing
Posted in these groups: 
Q&A
Q&A
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 26
Last question from me. Given your experience, knowledge, and interactions with soldiers, how do you inspire, motivate and lead the new soldiers coming in today? It is difficult given the everyone is a winner culture.
CPT Matt Gallagher
Ahh, yes, the millennial mindset. I've been out since 2009, so perhaps that's more pervasive than I recall. Well a little competition never hurt anyone. I know the best thing that ever happened to me when I was at officer basic course was realizing there were guys faster, smarter, and more technically sound than me. If I wanted to be a good leader when I got to my platoon, I needed to work at it. And it took some friendly competition to bring it out, even I wasn't super happy about it at the time.
A follow on question is what advice would you give leaders in todays PC environment? Do you think we will get over the PC hump and return to a Profession of Arms that respect each other, but worry more about getting the mission done, and less on how leaderships decisions will potentially hurt someone or some groups feelings?
CPT Matt Gallagher
One of things I loved about the military culture was how it could technically remain politically correct and still find absurdity and dark humor, even the most dire of circumstances. Even as a slew of social changes occur in the military right now, I've no doubt that will remain the same. Having a mission-focused culture tends to have that effect on a group.
CPT Matt Gallagher thanks for taking the time to be with us today Sir! Can you tell us about your greatest challenge/struggle with a senior leader or just following orders? Downrange, there is a plan and then there is reality - often times the plan has to be adjusted in the field and people like you are often left to explain their decisions.
CPT Matt Gallagher
Good question, Sergeant Major. This is probably something we've all dealt with at times, whatever our rank or position.
One that comes to mind was when I gave my platoon an order to shoot a possible IED-emplacer but got overruled from a higher-ranking officer back at the outpost. It was very frustrating, especially when we found the IED twenty minutes later. (With the emplacers long gone.)
In retrospect, perhaps I could've done a better job "painting the picture" for the superior officer. I can be terse, sometimes, something not always helpful on radio comms. All that said, hindsight is just that. We all do the best we can in the moment, and hey, the way this scenario played out was way better than us shooting on innocent civilians, which is always a possibility in wars like Iraq.
And hey, one of those emplacers blew himself up a month later trying to plant another roadside bomb. So he ended up in the same place, regardless.
One that comes to mind was when I gave my platoon an order to shoot a possible IED-emplacer but got overruled from a higher-ranking officer back at the outpost. It was very frustrating, especially when we found the IED twenty minutes later. (With the emplacers long gone.)
In retrospect, perhaps I could've done a better job "painting the picture" for the superior officer. I can be terse, sometimes, something not always helpful on radio comms. All that said, hindsight is just that. We all do the best we can in the moment, and hey, the way this scenario played out was way better than us shooting on innocent civilians, which is always a possibility in wars like Iraq.
And hey, one of those emplacers blew himself up a month later trying to plant another roadside bomb. So he ended up in the same place, regardless.
CMSgt Mark Schubert
Sir - Thanks much for the candid response and I hope that someone will read it and learn from it! Appreciate your time, SIR!
Looking forward to reading on vacation next month. Interested in what some of the tough parts of transition back to civilian life have been
CPT Matt Gallagher
Good question, definitely topical for our generation of vets. I was very lucky, frankly - took about a year or so after getting out to get comfortable in my "civilian skin" again.
One funny story involved getting off the subway in a not-so-nice part of Brooklyn, shortly after moving here. There was a gang fight going on down the block, a few shots rang out. I took a knee behind a car and was looking around for my radio man. Of course, he wasn't there and I was a bit embarrassed! An old man hobbling down the street was looking at me like I was crazy, and I started hurrying home, tail between my legs, so to speak.
Then I realized - wait a minute, bro, there was a gunfight going on down the block. I wasn't the one just standing in the middle of the street. That old man was the crazy one for not seeking cover.
Put a lot of things in perspective for me, in terms of the transition home and how some things we learned overseas can make us stronger, even as civilians.
One funny story involved getting off the subway in a not-so-nice part of Brooklyn, shortly after moving here. There was a gang fight going on down the block, a few shots rang out. I took a knee behind a car and was looking around for my radio man. Of course, he wasn't there and I was a bit embarrassed! An old man hobbling down the street was looking at me like I was crazy, and I started hurrying home, tail between my legs, so to speak.
Then I realized - wait a minute, bro, there was a gunfight going on down the block. I wasn't the one just standing in the middle of the street. That old man was the crazy one for not seeking cover.
Put a lot of things in perspective for me, in terms of the transition home and how some things we learned overseas can make us stronger, even as civilians.
SSG Izzy Abbass
Thanks for the answer and good story. I think a lot of us have had them and I like you comment about making us stronger as civilians. Well said.
Hey all, excited to be here. Appreciate everyone at RallyPoint having me. Gonna dive into the questions now, see you down there. Embrace the Suck!
I have to admit that I am behind on my reading list. I haven't read any of the books yet but wonder if they are easy for non-military readers to follow or did you have to wear the green tuxedo to follow along?
CPT Matt Gallagher
I definitely tried to make it as accessible to non-military folk as possible - thought it was important to make things accessible to them, since there's already a cultural disconnect, why add a language disconnect, too? That said, I'm sure there are insider-y terms/ideas/acronyms in there that snuck in there, despite the best of intentions
SFC Mark Merino
It's hilarious how we are so incorporated into the military that we don't even know how much until we get the hairy eyeball from those poor confused civilians.
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