By Al Franco There’s a moment, right before the bell, when a fighter’s body stops asking permission. The heart rate spikes. The mouth goes dry. Continue Reading
First Responder
Teaching the Nervous System the Fight Is Over
In 2020, while serving as an assistant team leader on a DEA Special Response Team operation in Boston, I found myself standing behind a rifle-rated Continue Reading
Rewiring the Warrior: A Data-Driven Breakthrough in Beating Operational Stress
How WHOOP and a Stellate Ganglion Block Helped Me Reset Operational Stress and Increase Performance Author’s Note: This article is a collaboration Continue Reading
I Called It the Job Until I Had a Name for It
By Doug White | retired deputy sheriff, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office | U.S. Air Force veteran Here’s What Leaders Need to Continue Reading
What Rank Cannot Fix
I recently listened to Episode 294 of The Shawn Ryan Show, with former Delta Force commander Pete Blaber. It was an outstanding episode, but more than Continue Reading
When Humanity Goes Quiet
Editor’s note: Citation superscripts have been removed to align with The Havok Journal’s formatting. Full references remain listed at the Continue Reading
The Night My Appendix Burst and the Towers Fell
By D.D. Finder “We’re going to check your rectum.” We? How many people do you need? Isn’t one enough? I turned around, Continue Reading
Certified but Unprepared
Editor’s note: Citation superscripts have been removed to align with The Havok Journal’s formatting. Full references remain listed at the Continue Reading
Stop Saying “Just an EMT”
The "B" in EMT-B stands for Basic, not B*tch. “You’re just an EMT.” You’ve heard it before—hell, you’ve probably even said it. But downplaying Continue Reading
Warriors Heart: Strength Through Healing and the Second Chances We Choose
Looking around her office at the trinkets and mementos strategically placed in every corner and shelf, Vonnie takes a heavy breath. “We honor the ones Continue Reading
When the Call Comes
Side by side we sat,In the belly of the beast.The beast roars as we approach. Those at my side,Were forged from chaos and grit,Who cut their teeth Continue Reading
When the Uniform Becomes a Shadow
I recently read Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield. One passage about the “Shadow Career” struck me:“Sometimes, when we’re terrified of embracing our Continue Reading