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Stories of the Soldiers
In Chop That Sh*t Up!, you share both the highs and lows from your time serving in the US Army along with your reflections on leadership and the challenges faced by veterans. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Chop that Sh*t Up! became another chapter of therapy for myself. Over the years I have been fortunate to speak at several graduations, conferences, and engagements, and each one I would either tell a funny story, an inspiring story (to me), or a deep meaning story about my soldiers. Every single time, someone would say “You have to put this into a book and tell your story.” More importantly, I needed to tell the stories of the soldiers I lost. I failed them by not recognizing them properly, by not being better as a leader, and I needed others to see what I saw and served with – Heroes. This book is for them.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Myself. Although I was used to being in front and in charge, I truly hate talking about myself. I would much rather spend every day talking about my family and soldiers. All day and every day. Telling their stories was easy. Talking about my failures was easy because I have always used my mistakes to help others learn from it, as I did. Trying to write about myself in a positive light was hard for me, as I do not view myself as such. To this day, I cannot finish the beautiful foreword written about me without crying.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about life after the military?
That we are ok because we are tough. Some are tough but most are like me, we survived and we struggle every day to continue to survive. We did what we were asked and volunteered to do, but I do not wish war, the things I have done and seen, on anyone. Ever!
Can readers expect to see more from you in the near future?
The original idea was to put together a collection of stories from several soldiers and veterans. That is one of the ideas of how this book came about. Take a group of veterans and sit them down and just listen to their stories. Each and every one has a hilarious or gut-wrenching story they tell. My next book, I want to put those stories together. Tell their story!
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Chop that Sh*t Up! is a collection of stories by a military veteran with deployments ranging from Bosnia-Herzegovina to tours in Iraq. Follow along his twenty-eight-year career from private to command sergeant major, and learn how a young, gullible private became a battle-hardened soldier to an emotionally broken leader on his journey back to civilian life. Whether you served, are thinking about serving, or know or care about someone who has served, this book will make you laugh, cry, or both. A true warrior and backbone of the Army, CSM (R) Pinion shares the highs and lows of his life serving our country in this soul-sharing book about him and his men.
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