Jared Sunsdahl knows being in the U.S. Army isn’t just a job; it’s a profession.
Sunsdahl, a former University of Wisconsin-Stout assistant professor of military science and a UW-Stout alumnus, is a major in the U.S. Army and is serving as executive officer to the commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division.
The commanding general, Major General Leopoldo Quintas, oversees 18,000 soldiers at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, with units deployed around the globe, including Afghanistan.
At Bagram Airfield, Sunsdahl attends meetings with Quintas, writes speeches, develops talking points for high-level meetings and events, produces leadership development products and performs other tasks in support of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Headquarters.
“I enjoy the job because it is a strategic-level position, where I have the opportunity to see how decisions are made not only at high levels of the military but also within the U.S. government,” Sunsdahl said.
“The Army conducts intensive training and truly professionalizes their formal qualifications, which differentiates it from a job. You have a group of people serving in the military who make up less than 1 percent of the nation’s population with a common goal of fighting and winning our nation’s wars. That leads to a strong bond among our military personnel.”
President Donald Trump’s South Asia Strategy has called for conditions-based withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, not a set timetable.
“Being in Afghanistan when the South Asia policy was implemented in late 2017 has been an enlightening experience,” Sunsdahl said. “It has been a rare opportunity to see the policy (put in place) by the president of the United States and seeing firsthand every day how it is being executed.”
Sunsdahl, 38, is on his second deployment to Afghanistan. His five deployments across 19 years in the Army also include Iraq, Bosnia and Bulgaria.
He earned a master’s degree in career and technical education from UW-Stout in 2015. “My master’s continues to assist me in developing training programs within the Army and helped develop and refine my research and writing skills,” he said.
Taught military science
As an assistant professor of military science at UW-Stout from 2012 to 2014, Sunsdahl said what stood out to him were the cadets and faculty members within the ROTC program and the supportive faculty and staff.
“The UW-Stout program continues to get better every year, and the quality of cadets has improved dramatically as the program has grown,” Sunsdahl said. “It was an awesome experience to see freshmen cadets join ROTC and then four years later run into them in the Army as new lieutenants. The university has done a great job of supporting the ROTC program and the veterans who attend UW-Stout.”
Jared Siverling, Army ROTC scholarship and enrollment officer, said Sunsdahl was an engaged and effective instructor and mentor.
“To date, Major Sunsdahl remains one of the finest ROTC instructors we have ever had, regardless of rank or position,” Siverling said. “It was an honor to serve with him, and our program was incredibly proud when we heard Jared was selected as the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general executive officer. We were not surprised, however, given how talented Major Sunsdahl is and how hard he works to improve any organization he is a member of.”
Teaching is one of Sunsdahl’s passions. In July, he and his family will move to West Point, N.Y., where he will teach for two to three years at the U.S. Military Academy. “We are excited for this new assignment, and I am looking forward to teaching at the military academy,” he said.
He and his wife, Cady, have three daughters, Madison, 18, Maegan, 15, and Rebekah, 11.
Siverling said this is a wonderful assignment for Sunsdahl. “He is an excellent teacher and remarkably competent soldier and leader,” Siverling said.
Tour in Afghanistan involves long days
In Afghanistan, Sunsdahl has been working close to 15 hours a day.
“While you are here for your tour, you are continuously making improvements to ensure progress is made to the overall mission,” Sunsdahl said. “Some days can be boring, and others can be very exciting. The (war) theater is very mature as we have been here for almost 17 years. Soldiers have opportunities to shop in a small PX, the military equivalent of a convenience store, the dining facilities serve good meals and there is civilian internet available to call or Facetime your family.”
Growing up on a farm in Goodridge, Minn., which has fewer than 200 people, Sunsdahl said he never had any desire to join the Army until his senior year of high school, when he enlisted two months before graduation.
“The attraction of the Army is the people and the camaraderie,” Sunsdahl said. “Like any other profession, the Army is all about people. I look at teaching and training soldiers and cadets as a way to train my replacements. One day I will retire, and the next generation will become the new leaders of our profession. We have to ensure they are properly educated, trained and prepared to perform their job.”
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Photos
Army Major Jared Sunsdahl, UW-Stout alumnus and former military science assistant professor, is serving in Afghanistan with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Bagram Airfield.
Afghanistan near where Sunsdahl is serving.
Sunsdahl when he was teaching at UW-Stout.
