
Connected Soldiers
Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War
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Narrated by:
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Phil Schoen
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By:
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John Spencer
About this listen
John Spencer was a new second lieutenant in 2003 when he parachuted into Iraq leading a platoon of infantry soldiers into battle. During that combat tour he learned how important unit cohesion was to surviving a war, both physically and mentally. He observed that this cohesion developed as the soldiers experienced the horrors of combat as a group, spending their downtime together and processing their shared experiences.
When Spencer returned to Iraq five years later to take command of a troubled company, he found that his lessons on how to build unit cohesion were no longer as applicable. Rather than bonding and processing trauma as a group, soldiers now spent their downtime separately, on computers communicating with family back home. Spencer came to see the internet as a threat to unit cohesion, but when he returned home and his wife was deployed, the internet connected him and his children to his wife on a daily basis.
In Connected Soldiers, Spencer delivers lessons learned about effective methods for building teams in a way that overcomes the distractions of home and the outside world, without reducing the benefits gained from connections to family.
©2022 John Spencer (P)2022 John SpencerListeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Connected Soldiers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-22
Great read
The author expertly use his experiences to convey his messages in a format that is not only easy to follow but draws the reader in. An honest look into the mind of a true warfighter, not often is someone so forthright about fear, failure and anxiety. A must for young leaders.
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- Mitchell Henke
- 10-21-24
Stories from a Soldier
This was a well written memoir from a soldier who spent several deployments in the middle east, both as active duty, and as family to active duty. Personally, I was hoping for a more analytical look at the modern changes to connectivity, and broader information and application than just Army, as I am in the Navy, and have family in the Navy and Marines. It didn't shed any light in that direction, but was still informative, interesting, and well told.
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- EricD
- 10-16-22
The military book you didn’t know you need to read
There are so many great things to say about Connected Soldiers. It’s a story about a man becoming a man and that man becoming a soldier, father, husband, and a leader. Business managers can get a lot from this book as well. How to organize and reinforce the improvement processes and team building. This is also a great book for audible as it was easy to follow, enjoy, and understand.
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- AJ Walker
- 10-16-22
Compelling reading from an author well versed
This book is a must have for anyone who wants to stay abreast of modern thinking and be informed by a qualified source. BUY THIS BOOK!!
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