Deploying with His Son to The Stan with National Guard Veteran Dan Talley

“The Stan by Dan Talley is a soul-searing memoir….they give chapter and verse detail of the trauma of combat, its aftermath, and the real cost of it to those in uniform and loved ones at home. Those who have experienced what the Talleys have will understand. Those who have not will find in The Stan a powerful work to help bridge that gulf.”

The Stan by Dan Talley

208 Dan Talley The Stan
Dan Talley is a veteran of a 26 year marriage, 28 year military career and 3 wars. The Stan shares private thoughts, journal entries, therapy sessions and memories of his family of 4 as father and son deploy to combat.

“I’m not a writer…as an NCO I’m a storyteller.” – Dan Talley on becoming an author

“I cuss too much for the Christians and I’m too Christian for the cussers.” Dan Talley on getting his book published
Dan Talley The Stan
Thursday, mid-August 2010 0430: Matthew’s praise before our route clearance mission and back to our forward operating base. We have been away from home for seven days. In a week we got three IED’s, an ambush and three days in Sharan’s transient tents for vehicle repairs. Today we head north, back to the PF Province. My son Josh’s platoon, they are south as we meticulously are moving north. I am a platoon sergeant, while Josh, my son, is a driver today. Our 0500 morning patrol ensures we miss civilian city traffic. It has been a long uneventful day as we close on Josh’s platoon at 1630. Vic’s bounce and rock through old IED holes. The sunset begins to our west and mountains are visible 50 clicks to our east. Wind carries dust clouds we stir up westward, interrupting the sunbeams’ journey to our path home. I see Josh’s platoon icon on my computer screen but we cannot yet reach them on radio frequencies. Another quiet afternoon clearing roads and easing through crater after crater, some we remember and some we do not. Back home, Karen, my wife is getting ready. Charlotte’s out of bed now and maybe I can call them tomorrow. “There it go!” my gunner yells. His matter of fact clarification is simply, ‘blast, North’. A surreal second later, Rollins, my main Vic operator says, “one nine smoke cloud North.” I radio, “Husky one this is one nine, roger, we see it.” Our Husky operators search mark until we can tell the Buffalo operator where to terrigrate for possible IED’s. “One nine, this is one two alpha, want us to lead us out and get us up there, over?” Negative one two alpha, break husky one husky two, get us up there clear as you go, don’t get us blown the hell up, over.” “Husky one, roger.” “Husky two, roger.” We still have no radio coms with our brothers. I get a text report of small arms fire, RPG’s and indirect fire. U-shaped ambushes from behind are common. We had one here last week moving out. We charlie miked North as our sister platoon responds to today’s aggression. “Who got hit,” I wonder. A poke of a 137 vehicle icon on my screen will display the corresponding Vic’s status. Smith’s icon, their platoon sergeant, a popup opens and his speed reads 5 km/hour. I close his popup and open the next in line. It reads 7 km/hour. That’s Donner, he’s moving. Wait, rear ambush, check the trail vic dumbass. A spark in my peripheral vision, I glance at Miller, he looks at me, he lights a smoke. Neither he nor I speak, I go back to my screen. Miller says, “Your son out today?” “Roger, he’s driving TOP.” “TOP’s out! What the hell!” “He’s filling in for LT Martin, who is on leave.” I click another icon, Smith’s rear Vic, Duke is rolling. Shit! Who the hell go hit? Smoke ejects with Miller’s every word, passes his steering wheel to cover our windshield in a gloomy fog. “We need to get up there Sarge.” I poke another icon. One more data popup opens, this icon’s velocity caption reads 0.00 km/hour. “First one at a halt,” I think. It’s got to be the one that got hit. Sergeant Sanderford we’ve got to roll Miller says. RC my gunner shifts his feet on his gunner platform. “Get my ass up there, let me get some!” text on my screen blends with and gives way to images of what 0.0 km/hour means on the ground and in mobile vehicle taking small arms fire. Smith’s hands are full. I’ll bet he’s screaming and cussing right now.

To hear the rest of Dan Talley’s excerpt from his book and how he created his book with stories of his experiences, how he got published and what the book means to him and others, download and listen to Dan Talley The Stan.

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Book: The Stan

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Dwight Zimmerman, MWSA President & Reviewer

“…Veterans of any combat will recognize themselves in here. So will family members. Maybe seeing each other’s stories in print will help bridge any divisions. For those that haven’t been part of a similar story, this book will help you understand.”

-Skip Rhode- Kindle Reader & Veteran

‘“The Stan” holds nothing back – survivor’s guilt, crisis of faith, war’s negative effects families, veteran suicide, invisible wounds of war (PTSD and TBI), post-deployment career challenges – and offers powerful inspiration…”

– Hannah Becker – Paperback reader & Veteran spouse

How does;

* a young soldier on his first combat tour in Afghanistan react when Dad flies out on a medical plane?

* ole’ Sarge react as he sees a smoke cloud of his Son’s truck, victom of a Rocket Propelled Grenade, three kilometers down the road, with tracers, explosions, and under fire?

* wife and mother face husband’s third tour and Son’s first?

* what can a combat tour single mother do when followed home at night?

* nine year old Charlotte regain emotional attachment to Papa when he isn’t Papa anymore?

* A Papa deal with loss of civilian and military careers, inability to provide for his family, and spiritual despair; Dale faces every disabled vet’s question, ”Who am I?”

Book Quotes;

Charlotte to Papa – “Will you come back?”

Josh to Dad while in Afghanistan – “Why would they send us where they know you’ll be shot at?”

Dad to Josh – “This is our mission.”

Karen to Husband – “Why would you go again?”

Private thoughts, therapy sessions, journal entries, and memories of our family of four offer a rare opportunity to experience deployment as we say goodbye, sacrifice for others, struggle inwardly, attempt to heal, and move on with life from differing, even opposing, perspectives. Observe unspoken emotions, hopes, and dreams common to military families.

The Stan by Dan Talley

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