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
Military
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
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
The Hard Choices
When your husband decides, in his forties, that he’s going back into the Army, you’re supportive. It doesn’t occur to you to argue or tell him the Continue Reading
Even in the Military, Self-Interest Is a Legitimate Motivator
One of the most persistent myths about military service is that it requires the complete abandonment of self-interest. We celebrate selfless service. Continue Reading
The Navigator and the Aviator
My friend lent me a book to read. It's called The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World, by Wade Davis (House of Anansi Press). Continue Reading
The Measure of a Man: Ramadi, Iraq
By a Combat Veteran Ramadi, Iraq, 2011 Just relieved from shift rotation, I was finally able to lay down and get back to my daily routine Continue Reading
I’ll Take My Armor Off Someday–But Not Today
2016 04 29 Friday It was day three of the Pacific Area Deck Landing Qualification roundup, PACAREA DLQs for short. We had less polite euphemisms to Continue Reading
Coming Home from Afghanistan
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
Shut Up and Dig!
by Jake Walsh Basic training was full of new and unique games. Looking back, I was in over my head thinking I’d be able to recognize them as they Continue Reading
Why I Ruck When Nobody Makes Me
It's 0300 on a Thursday at Camp Rogers, Fort Benning. Day 4 of Ranger School, RAP week, and we're about to start the 12-mile ruck. Our bodies are more Continue Reading