Night after night I lay awake, long after the light of day has settled beyond the horizon. The struggle that ensues is one all too familiar. It has Continue Reading
You Ain’t Got to Lie to Kick It
My old field training officer (FTO), now friend and former Marine, once looked at a guy and said, “you ain’t got to lie to kick it.” This man was a Continue Reading
Weaponizing a System That Thrives on Anonymity
The once sanctuary, the seemingly last vestige of honest relief, tainted from within. To be denied the right of comedic relief from the horrific Continue Reading
Certainty in the Sand
The hardest part of being on the right side of history is time. Each falling grain brings trials and tribulations without certainty. It hinges on the Continue Reading
Jake: My Liberator, My Tormentor
These words are always tormentingly liberating. I fear every phrase, wondering if some passing reader might one day recognize my same Continue Reading
Rewritten Truths
“Truth” once written in our self-perceptions become rewritten through time. Every passing recollection falls prey not to the “truth” but rather Continue Reading
The Burden of Being Called Guru
The word has always weighed heavy on my shoulders. Each utterance has cast upon me a humbling burden. In black and white it is a "mentor, guide, Continue Reading
The Forsaken
In moments of deepest darkness, we are the monsters called forth. We are the devils summoned to bypass pleading with God for forgiveness. Beckoned and Continue Reading
Donning My Gear
I don my belt and snap my keepers. I place my radio in its pouch and clip it in. I slide my light into its place. I slip into my body armor and Continue Reading
The Blissfully Ignorant
Freedom allows the ignorant and inexperienced to profess utopian ideologies—ideologies that captivate the imagination. Their only physical Continue Reading
F*** with the Odds
My memories stand as a testament to those lost. A shared post from a young widow whose husband struggled with peace because of war. A quote from a Continue Reading
May These Words Help You Find Your Way Back
I once sought solace and comfort in pressed wood and graphite trails. Each stroke documented my own life. Each trail soon amounted to no more Continue Reading