Job Title
Historian, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Fort Bragg, NC
Job Description
As an Army historian assigned to USASOC, I research Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) history and publish original products on ARSOF contributions to national defense. My current focus is on soldiers and units performing support and sustainment functions for USASOC, such as military intelligence, communications, medical, and logistics.
Favorite thing about your job
Interviewing current and former ARSOF soldiers is a big part of my job. Just listening to their stories is rewarding, but then being able to turn these recollections into historical products that the soldiers and veterans can share with their families and friends is very fulfilling.
Favorite thing about your experience in our MA program
I appreciated the professionalism of the faculty, especially as a non-traditional graduate student who was 15 years removed from my undergraduate experience (also at App State). I worked with some amazing professors who helped me realize my potential and set me up for success after graduation. To name them would risk leaving someone out, but they are all still there, as of late 2019.
Any advice for future students
Your graduate professors will expect you to perform, but you will ultimately decide if you will
walk away from ASU with a piece of paper, or an education. Push yourself; do the work;
and don't settle for good enough. Also, don't lock yourself into a thesis topic until you have
done enough research, and consulted enough faculty, to know if it's feasible. Once you
find the right topic, attack it like it is the most important thing you've ever done
(academically, at least), because it might just be.