There is a peculiar pressure in modern society to have an opinion about everything. Every political controversy. Every military operation. Every Continue Reading
Recent Articles
The Night Before
By Chris Fitzmaurice The following is part of a collection of short stories titled Insha’Allah: Short Stories of the Long War in Afghanistan." Continue Reading
Afghanistan and the Sound of Silence
For many, silence is peace, and the sound of breaking waves off the coast of Carmel California is the most relaxing sound. It brings the inner peace Continue Reading
The Claims Shark Wears a Flag Pin
America loves thanking veterans right up until a veteran asks America to do something more complicated than stand for the anthem. We'll clap at Continue Reading
What I Owe the Child I Never Had
To my son, had you been born, I wonder if you’d have looked like me. I wanted to write you—perhaps to apologize and explain why you don’t exist Continue Reading
Burdens and Blessings
I had a phone conversation with Matt recently. He was in my son’s squad in the Mountain Phase of Ranger school. He shared with me his story about that Continue Reading
Beware of All Enterprises That Require New Clothes… Or Uniforms
Before Walden became a staple of American literature, Henry David Thoreau offered a simple warning that has aged remarkably well: “I say, beware Continue Reading
Ranger Regiment Ruined My Life
Rarely do I write with the intent to post. Most of my words are written so I might make some sense of my life. They are then shared in a fit of liquid Continue Reading
Why Suicide Prevention Awareness Campaigns May Be Hurting Veterans and First Responders
By Dr. Shauna Springer September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time often marked by well-intentioned campaigns aimed at reducing suicide Continue Reading
Straight to Fifth Gear
My son, Hans, called me. Hans is an Iraq War vet (2011 deployment). He likes to talk to me about his work (he pumps concrete for a living down in Continue Reading
Coming Down From Mission Mode
I was in that middle ground between frustration, fatigue, and anger… again. What’s worse is I couldn’t remember why I was there or how to fix Continue Reading
The Beer Wasn’t the Point
What the Air Force Lost When We Stopped Knowing Our Troops At the end of a particularly miserable day on the flightline, sometimes your supervisor Continue Reading