Back to Episodes
ARMY

82nd Airborne Medic in Iraq | Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) | Playwright | Colin Sesek

Colin SesekMay 20, 2023
82nd Airborne Medic in Iraq | Special Operations Combat Medic (SOCM) | Playwright | Colin Sesek
WATCH ON YOUTUBE

About This Episode

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

======= Today we hear our first Combat Story from an 82nd Airborne soldier and medic, Colin Sesek. Colin would go on to serve in Special Operations but started his career as a medic fighting in Iraq during the surge and we’ve had so many fans asking for a Combat Story from a conventional soldier in the 82nd Airborne and Colin does not disappoint.

While downrange, Colin participated in infantry operations and raids while also wearing his medic hat managing mass casualty events, significant trauma incidents, and even treated insurgents who were wounded on the battlefield.

After leaving Iraq, Colin went on to write a play titled Bent Compass that is touring in the US and Canada about a soldier changing as a result of the war and conflict he’s experienced that I got a sneak peek of and I know our listeners will really appreciate.

This was a really fun episode and I hope you enjoy Colin’s perspective from the conventional and SOF sides of the house as much as I did.

Show Notes:

Featured Guest

Colin Sesek

Chapters

  • 00:00Intro
  • 00:54Guest Introduction (Colin Sesek)
  • 01:50Interview begins
  • 02:43A conscientious objector
  • 09:10Going the Medic route
  • 12:19Black Hawk Down generation
  • 15:09Bent Compass Play
  • 19:03Recruiter Office stories
  • 21:414Patriots
  • 23:00Medic training
  • 24:0582nd Airborne Division
  • 36:24Deployment
  • 41:34First time outside the wire
  • 42:57First contact
  • 44:24Time in Iraq
  • 46:10Combat medic
  • 57:16Deciding to engage
  • 1:01:08Memorials
  • 01:06:09Most courageous thing
  • 01:08:03Almost going outside the wire
  • 01:20:28The VA
  • 01:28:30Bird Flu
  • 01:32:18Hardest thing to do downrange
  • 01:37:59Conventional to Special Forces perspective
  • 01:42:24Bent Compass
  • 01:50:02Sentimental items
  • 01:50:45Would you do it all again
  • 01:52:45Listener comments and shout outs