This first appeared in The Havok Journal on March 27, 2016 My annual nostalgia of Easter now blossoms in reverse. My firstborn was killed in Continue Reading
Do You Love Yourself Enough?
February 14th observes the ultimate, hyped-up holiday of ‘love.’ My first Valentine’s Day after discovering my husband’s unfaithfulness, he spewed, Continue Reading
“Sex is Like a Cheeseburger”: The National Sexual Menu
Sex is like a cheeseburger. Today’s X-rated society has reduced sex to the value of a fast food cheeseburger—hot, fast and cheap. Order it any way you Continue Reading
Motherhood and Brotherhood: A Simple Heartfelt Thank You
As a Gold Star mom, I often wonder whether my mind will ever stop trying its best to reject the “ultimate bereavement.” Words spoken to me by soldiers Continue Reading
The Travesty of Politics, the Tragedy of Empathy
This article was first published in the Havok Journal on October 24, 2017. __________ Speaking only from my experience, people who politicize tragedy, Continue Reading
Remembering 9/11: Hope After the Wasteland
“I don’t want to go there.” We’ve all said those exact words. A painful memory we don’t want to dredge up. A journey we’re dreading. A place or Continue Reading
When Life Crosses the Shadow of Death
This article first appeared in The Havok Journal on August 19, 2018. ___________ Ten sailors missing... darkness approached in Asia as helicopters Continue Reading
July 4th Fireworks and Wounded Warriors
by DiAnna Steele What I'd really like people to know is that fireworks are particularly disturbing to our veterans. I've worked with wives of wounded Continue Reading
Memorial Day—Remembering the Fallen
Tandem-jumping into Normandy with Army Rangers who served with my son, Sgt. First Class Kristoffer Domeij, to honor the fallen at the 2019, 75th D-Day Continue Reading
Killjoys and Blessings Only Make Me Stronger
As a free-spirited, artsy-fartsy civilian who has no clue how to salute, I’m not always in tune with or understand the military culture or protocol. Continue Reading
The Poetry of Military Vernacular: Randy Brown’s “Welcome to FOB Haiku”
Book Review: Jonathan Baxter, author of "The Ghosts of Babylon" In Welcome to FOB Haiku: War Poems From Inside the Wire, author Randy Brown, “Charlie Continue Reading
COVID-19 Changed Me
This first appeared in The Havok Journal on April 20, 2020. How has Covid changed you? Little things make me realize how Coronavirus has changed me. Continue Reading