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...]
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...]
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 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...]
A Ranger In Vietnam Remembers
Some of the Team Leaders were more "aggressive" than others. For some reason, Team 4 always had a Team Leader the "aggressive" ones called NUTS. Of the first four Team Leaders of Team 4, three are members of the Ranger Hall of Fame. We always seemed to get more than our share of action. My guess would be that we came under fire about 60% of the time. Usually we were engaged … [Read more...]
You’re Not Entitled To Your Own Opinion
The following is not a statement of blame, and is in no way intended to pass the bill of responsibility, in affairs current, to which we have all collectively contributed. In fact, this is more of a confession of my own wrongdoing and an observation that I have made throughout the course of my travels and varied life experiences than a pointing of fingers.There are two … [Read more...]
Afghanistan serves U.S. strategic interests, and it is time to stop pretending it doesn’t.
On Monday, U.S. officials met with representatives of the Afghan Taliban in the United Arab Emirates to discuss a potential political settlement to the war in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, President Trump announced that the U.S. will immediately withdraw from Syria and only one day later, the Trump Administration announced that it is considering a significant drawdown of American … [Read more...]
Meditations of an Army Ranger: A Warrior Philosophy for Everyone
An excerpt from Meditations of an Army Ranger: A Warrior Philosophy for Everyone written by LTC (Ret) JC Glick and author, Dr. Alice Atalanta: Why philosophy? “Learn to ask of all actions, ‘Why are they doing that?’ Starting with our own.” ٠Marcus Aurelius٠ “War is the father of all things.” ٠Heraclitus٠ Philosophy is in a predicament: years of being used as a pawn in … [Read more...]