Col. Rob Dickerson had retirement on his mind in the spring of 2015, after just over 28 years of service in the United States Army. He had recently completed a two-year post in the Joint Staff J-5 department at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he worked under then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.
In his position at the Pentagon, Dickerson worked in the War Plans Division and aided in the proposal of recommendations regarding strategies, plans and policies and believed the job would be the final stop of a prestigious career in the Army that included nearly 15 years in Special Operations.