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sbmstoryteller

@sbmstoryteller

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What Are Today's Soldiers Signing Up For?

When CPT Michael Villahermosa, better known as the EOD Happy Captain, enlisted in 2008, he knew what awaited him: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the threat of IEDs.

But today's recruits face a very different kind of uncertainty. Will they fight another counterinsurgency? A near-peer adversary? Or something entirely different?

In this clip from Field Notes from the Floor, Sarah Blake Morgan talks with CPT Villahermosa about why he believes the Soldiers joining today's Army might be braver than his own generation.

A special thanks to AUSA and MANTECH for making these conversations possible.

#FieldNotesFromTheFloor #FromTheGreenNotebook #AUSA2026 #USArmy #Leadership #EOD

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Behind every uniform is a different story. A different background. A different reason for serving.

At #AUSA2026, Sarah Blake Morgan sat down with CPT Michael Villahermosa, better known as EOD Happy Captain, to talk about something we often overlook: the incredible diversity of people who serve in our military.

As Sarah pointed out, we all raise our right hands to serve our country, but our reasons for doing so are often very different.

And that's a story worth telling.

With such a small percentage of Americans serving in uniform, many people have little interaction with the military. Social media offers an opportunity to bridge that gap, share those stories, and help Americans better understand the people who serve them.

As CPT Villahermosa reminds us:

"Our Army works for the American people."

And those people deserve to know who we are, what we do, and why we serve.

A special thanks to AUSA and MANTECH for supporting these conversations and helping us share the stories behind the uniform.

#FromTheGreenNotebook #AUSA2026 #ManTech #USArmy #MilitaryLeadership #FieldNotesFromTheFloor

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Making an impact doesn't always require a big idea. Sometimes it starts with showing up.

At AUSA, Sarah Blake Morgan asked Rob Evans, founder of Hots&Cots, what advice he'd give someone who wants to make a difference but doesn't know where to start.

His answer? Build trust. Be present. Do the hard things.

Rob created Hots&Cots to give service members a voice when it comes to their living conditions. But building an app was only part of the challenge. The real work is answering messages, following up on problems, and showing people you're committed to making things better.

It's a good reminder that impact isn't just about what you create. It's about what you're willing to keep showing up for.

Thanks to AUSA and MANTECH for helping us bring these conversations to life.

#AUSA2026 #MANTECH #FromTheGreenNotebook #Leadership #HotsAndCots #MilitaryLeadership

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When Sarah Blake Morgan asked Rob Evans, founder of @hots_cots_app, whether he was shocked by reports of mold, poor living conditions, and Soldiers sleeping in their cars, his answer was no.

He had experienced barracks life himself as a private in the Army.

When Rob launched Hots&Cots, a common response was that these problems had always existed and nothing would change.

But Rob believed there was a difference between knowing something was wrong and actually doing something about it.

Using his background in software engineering, he built a platform where service members could anonymously report problems with their living conditions. As the platform grew, military leaders helped shape new features that allowed them to engage with reports and work toward solutions while protecting users’ anonymity.

What started as one veteran’s effort to give back to an organization that changed his life has grown into a tool for identifying problems and helping leaders address them.

Thanks to MANTECH and @ausaorg AUSA for making these conversations possible.

#FromTheGreenNotebook #AUSA2026 #HotsAndCots #MilitaryLeadership #SoldierQualityOfLife

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What Makes an Idea Resonate?

During AUSA, Sarah Blake Morgan sat down with me and Alex Morrow of MOPs & MOEs to talk about what we’ve learned about creating content that resonates with people.

Alex spends a lot of time thinking about how to take complex ideas and distill them into a few words that stick with people.

For me, it’s a little different. I create the content I want to consume. Whether it’s a book I’m curious about, a conversation I want to have, or something I’m wrestling with personally in my Sunday Email, I’m usually trying to work through something myself.

Two different approaches to creating content, but both rooted in curiosity and a desire to share ideas worth thinking about.

Looking forward to sharing this special crossover episode on From the Green Notebook soon!

Thanks again to MANTECH and @ausaorg for making these conversations possible.

#FromTheGreenNotebook #MOPsandMOEs #AUSA2026 #Leadership #Podcast

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What does it take to be the best?

Sarah Blake Morgan caught up with the winners of the Best Squad Competition from the 75th Ranger Regiment at #AUSA2026.

What stood out wasn’t just their accomplishments, but their humility and genuine gratitude for the opportunity to represent the Regiment.

A great reminder that excellence and humility can go hand in hand.

🎙️ Field Notes from the Floor, presented by MANTECH and From the Green Notebook.

#AUSA2026 #75thRangerRegiment #RangersLeadTheWay #BestSquadCompetition Leadership FromTheGreenNotebook ManTech

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We’re set up and ready to roll at #AUSA2026!

Sarah Blake Morgan and I are taking From the Green Notebook to the floor of the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.!

Over the next few days, we’ll be sitting down with Army leaders, capturing leadership lessons, and sharing conversations from across the force as part of our new series, Field Notes from the Floor.

A huge thanks to MANTECH for helping make this possible!

If you’re at AUSA, come find us and say hello!

#AUSA2026 #FieldNotesFromTheFloor #FromTheGreenNotebook #Leadership USArmy ManTech

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AUSA is going to look a little different this year.

From the Green Notebook is taking the podcast to the floor with Field Notes from the Floor.

I’ll be joined by Sarah Blake Morgan, an Emmy-nominated journalist, storyteller, Army veteran, and former guest on the podcast, as we move through the convention floor talking with leaders from across the Army.

We plan to capture the conversations, ideas, and lessons that usually happen between the formal panels and presentations.

We’ll be sharing short interviews and clips throughout the week from AUSA 2026.

Follow along.

@AUSAorg @sbmstoryteller @mantechcareer

#AUSA2026 #FieldNotesFromTheFloor #FromTheGreenNotebook #Leadership #USArmy

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We’re launching Field Notes from the Floor at the @ausaorg Annual Meeting, October 12–14 in Washington, D.C.

I’ll be there with @sbmstoryteller Sarah Blake Morgan, talking with leaders across the Army and capturing the stories, lessons, and ideas worth sharing.

We’re building out our interview schedule now. Unit PAOs and public affairs officers, if you have leaders or Soldiers whose stories should be told, reach out. We’ll be recording interviews from the floor and in dedicated spaces throughout the week.

We want to get beyond the talking points and highlight the people, leadership lessons, and stories happening across the Army.

Send me a DM if you’d like to get your unit on the schedule.

#AUSA2026 #USArmy #Leadership #MilitaryLeadership #PublicAffairs #FromTheGreenNotebook #FieldNotesFromTheFloor

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$World’s best consignment sale starts this Wednesday! Fabulous clothes, shoes, accessories at a fraction of the original prices💝Preview emceed by the beautiful, talented @sbmstoryteller Thank you @edit_sale$

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I lost my incredible friend Sean Lee today, and had the honor of being with him when he passed, along with his dear brother and his closest friends.

I cannot explain how much this loss hurts. Sean and I first met during Afghan Evac and for the first two years of our friendship we exclusively spent time together overseas on missions. We were instantly close. Maybe because everyone else around us was super secret squirrel and we were infantrymen. Maybe because we are both New Englanders. And maybe because we are both sarcastic assholes.

But he was the best of us. There is no price he wouldn’t pay to help others. Whether it was making sure he never missed a first day of school, a school dance, or a major event for Sarah Verardo’s children, or helping Afghans for three months in UAE, or six months in Ukraine to include the rescue of Benji Hall, to missions in Jordan, Egypt, Cypress, and Haiti, Sean always had more to give.

The work he did as ground force commander during the NC Hurricanes was masterful and selfless and perhaps his proudest moment other than being a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne who deployed multiple times.

He spent the last two years of his life working at the VA, making a profound difference.

When they found the stage 4 cancer, he didn’t waiver. He kept working. In his final days, he delivered a 20 page plan to his closest friends to stand up a veteran civic community to help in times of crisis.

He literally used every moment of his life to serve.

And he never asked for anything in return.

He didn’t want attention. He didn’t want credit. He didn’t want money. He just wanted to be of service.

He was one of one and I already miss him terribly.

I love you, buddy. Job well done. I am so very proud of the life you lived.

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🐾🌈 Fly High, Murrow 💔
✨ Forever Part of the Pack ✨ 🐾🌈 Today, a beloved member of my pet sitting pack crossed the rainbow bridge surrounded by his loving family — both two-legged ❤️ and four-legged 🐶🐶. Since February, I had the honor of walking this sweet old man every day, and he quickly became one of my favorites. He was deeply loved and will be so greatly missed. Fly high, Murrow 💔✨#petloss #rainbowbridge #petsitter #dogwalker #alldogsgotoheaven

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