2015 03 29 Sunday I stand on the fantail and stare out at the buildings across the bay from the cutter. We’re moored in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Continue Reading
Work Cattle for a Week, and You’ll Understand Why We Eat Them
2020 05 15 Friday, early afternoon Work cattle for a week, and you’ll understand why we eat them. I was breathing like bellows in a forge, Continue Reading
A Day in the Life of a Coast Guardsman
2014 09 12 Friday The event started late in the afternoon. We received a rather vague notification that a vessel of interest (VOI) may be heading Continue Reading
Everything Has Become a Threat Assessment
The Following describes K.C. Aud's first day in the shoot house at ME A-School at FLETC written after passing his team's lethal use of force Continue Reading
Why Do I Miss the Bad Times, and What If I Don’t Enjoy What I’m Good At?
Like a nervous farmer a week away from harvesting a bumper crop I woke up at 0200 to check the weather. I was the on-call point of contact for the Continue Reading
Misfire Procedures
I was tired. It was mid-morning January 3rd and all I could think about was getting back to bed when the day was over. My fourth or fifth mug of Continue Reading
The Doric Idiom: Hesma Phobou – “Purging” or “Fear Shedding”
I am not a combat veteran. The closest I’ve come to facing the enemy is holding a rifle or sidearm at high ready when approaching a panga full of Continue Reading
Pascal’s Democracy
There is a philosophical concept called Pascal’s Wager. It’s the idea that we cannot prove God’s existence with math or science, but living like you Continue Reading
Coming Home | I Have No Desire To Die Out Here
We are almost home. Tomorrow I'll kiss my wife and hold onto her like it is the end of the world. The ship has taken on an irregular roll to its Continue Reading
Standing Up to Chinese Aggression | Replace the BRP Sierra Madre
Editor's Note: BRP: "Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas" (Ship of the Republic of the Philippines). 800 nautical miles to the southwest of Taiwan lies Continue Reading
Is October 7th Israel’s Sept. 11th? I Hope Not
I was 15 years old on September 11th 2001, walking from 2nd period art class to 3rd period English when I saw the news. At the time every classroom Continue Reading
Train Like You Fight… Fight Like You Train
Train like you fightFight like you trainPray you never need to put that training to use 2016 04 06 Thursday Every 18 months, major Coast Guard Continue Reading