Tennessee State Guard

Those feelings can be part of a broader process of reflection, engagement, and continued service in new forms.

Our guest today, retired army officer Par- Paul Da- Darling, shares his perspective shaped by 27 years in uniform, a deployment to Afghanistan, time at the Pentagon, and his work with War 102 and the Tennessee State Guard.

This conversation explores how military procur- procurement and leadership decisions may affect troops on the ground, how different people interpret accountability after conflict, and how veterans can look for direction and community after leaving active duty.

Before we get into this episode, though, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that is deeply important to our community, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation.

Went to work in manufacturing, back in engineering, back in the cubicle.

Still wasn't that interesting, but, didn't have much life as a soldier.

Uh, but again, because I'm a junkie, I joined the Tennessee State Guard, uh, which is kind of the state militia.

A lot of re- retired former soldiers in that, and that's kinda how I keep going.