It doesn’t seem that long ago. The memory of pulling away from the brown fence that surrounded 3rd Ranger Battalion for the final time is still as vivid in my memory as the taste of the burnt black coffee that I had for breakfast this morning. Despite it being 7 years and 2 weeks since I was honorably discharged I still recall how that particular drive home felt. Notions … [Read more...]
Thanks for Your Service?
Thanks for Your Service? Why it is about deeds not words for leaders?Unfortunately, we have come to accept that those that serve in political office are not leaders, but people who are egocentric and desire money, power and the other trappings that come with political office. We see it every day, on both sides of the isle, people who pander to constituents, make false … [Read more...]
“Best Ranger” Mentality: Push It To The limit
The author of this article is a former Best Ranger competitor who wishes to remain anonymous. _____ As I crossed that finish line in 2001, I genuinely, and finally knew what it was to be tested. Up until that time, I had conquered most challenges I had thrown myself into without feeling that I had ever, truly, been pushed to my limits.I had won State & National … [Read more...]
A Delta Operator Transitions From War to Music: The Story of Silence and Light (Part One)
Written by Special Guest Author: Brad Thomas. If you told me back in the mid 1980’s that I would be where I am today, having lived through one of the most horrific and historical battles in modern times and having retired from the premier counter terrorism unit in the world, I’d never have believed you.Today, so many years later, I’m tapping into my roots … [Read more...]
Want a Work Culture like a Special Operations Unit?
The Army Rangers have the Ranger Creed.The Navy SEALs have the Navy SEAL Creed.The Green Beret's have the Special Forces Creed.AFSOC has their own creeds.As does MARSOC.What guides your organization and the people in it?If you asked any businessman today, or any business student for that matter, what aligns employees in an organization, they will tell … [Read more...]
A Different “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
Very happy to publish J.T., a guest writer for the Havok Journal. His article is extremely personal and comes from the heart, and the worst part is that he is not the only veteran who has gone through trials and tribulations such as this. We hope to shed light on the issue of veterans who find themselves on the street, sometimes it happens in the most unlikely ways - and to … [Read more...]
The Art of War
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things." ~John Mill Those married to the miraculous madness of combat need no delineation of the layers comprising its complexity. War is a word, in that word resides a world. Memories created in this time and place are so substantive that they intertwine themselves with our senses. A slight odor of burning trash lingering in … [Read more...]
Ranger Medic: The Drive for Perfection
By Andrew D. Fisher and Leo JenkinsThere is a certain group of men that have to live with a feeling of guilt when they lose a patient. I am not talking about a patient that dies on us due to an elective procedure or who arrived in cardiac arrest at the ER, I am talking about men dying in your arms in combat.The Ranger Medic/PA/Physician has that guilt. I have, too often … [Read more...]
The Remembrance Bracelet
Written by C.H.The metal edge clinks against the dining room table as he sits down for dinner. When he rests his hand on my back, I can feel the extra weight of it against my body. I can feel it digging into my flesh when we make love. Again, it's there as we snuggle on the couch. The sun catches the worn sides as he holds my daughter’s hands. At breakfast, lunch, and … [Read more...]
The Death of a Ranger
EDITORS NOTE: I am honored to introduce guest contributor, Johnny B, who is both a former Ranger and a poet. I have read some of his other work and it is equally as stirring. I don't think I am alone when I say "This one hits home." The Death of a Ranger So, you heard a Ranger died today What a tragic waste, you said That he should die in a foreign land With so much of … [Read more...]