People often remark on my seemingly impeccable memory. They wonder what such a gift might bring them, but they do not heed my warnings. They imagine a Continue Reading
Drink After Drink… I Drift Away
Drink after drink, song after song. I begin to drift away. I forget the present and drift into the past. I am in a world of plywood, not Continue Reading
Preserving Humanity
We are the culmination of our experiences. The mind and body think and react based upon past experiences, creating anticipated outcomes. Shared Continue Reading
Dismissed with Prejudice
It has taken almost two weeks for me to find these words. Words that should have taken me only minutes to find. The outcome was as expected, Continue Reading
What is the Pain of the Living Compared to the Sacrifice of the Dead?
Somewhere in a forgotten war, over a decade ago, he died. His eight-day struggle ended. Somewhere, in this window of time, my brain takes hold. I can Continue Reading
Adding Up The Losses
Every drop of hot water was soothing as they rained down upon my body. I lay on the shower floor, staring as drop after drop slid down the side Continue Reading
I am Who I am Because of Those Lost
I live because they cannot. I strive to achieve because I must. I speak because their lessons deserve to live forever. I share because Continue Reading
To My Son
You are not mine to own and control. You are not my possession or trophy. You do not exist to continue my lineage and name or bear my burdens. Who I Continue Reading
The Affirmation I Never Wanted
As the night came to an end, we reflected upon the call earlier. Things just did not seem right. The cues often unseen by the inexperienced become Continue Reading
What Will My Death Be?
I wonder if I will meet my death in old age, a small gathering of stalwarts at my funeral. Will it be a tragic accident along the way, leaving Continue Reading
Tin Burdens
It is hard for me to admit the truth. That the weight became too much. The obligation of trying to focus on so many names every day. How so many Continue Reading
Where Shadows Build Leaders
During the GWOT era, combat MOS soldiers typically had about two years to attend Ranger School after completing RIP or RASP. This applied not only to Continue Reading