Published in Human Parts·PinnedWar Is a Painful MistressAs a veteran, my memories of combat are strangely beautiful — “Maybe the ultimate wound is the one that makes you miss the war you got it in.” — Sebastian Junger War is a painful mistress. She gives you a taste of the purest love and brotherhood you can experience and then you may never see her again. I am not…War5 min read
PinnedThe Case Against Putin“There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” — Putin “Once a terrorist, always a terrorist.” — Everyone else Every superhero and every supervillain have an origin story. Understanding where someone came from can tell you a lot about where they are headed. Vladimir Putin has been a tyrannical terrorist for most of his adult life. He started his career in earnest as a Soviet Intelligence KGB officer, retiring…Ukraine6 min read
PinnedA Brief History of Reluctant US Intervention (and a Plea to Change It)“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” — Unknown When it comes to stopping wars of aggression against innocent Allies, the United States has a history of doing too little, too late. Yes, we eventually get involved and pay a tremendous price for it, but let’s remember the facts about what waiting may cost us in the end. When…Stand With Ukraine7 min read
Jun 13Jan 6 hearing: Episode 2 — The Long ConIf you gave money to the election defense fund, you got robbed — This is the 2nd episode in a several part series. Please read the first episode here Jan 6 hearing: Episode 1 — America’s domestic terrorism problem; White “Christian” Nationalism continues to be the most dangerous threat to our Republic A long con happens over time. According to Wikipedia’s definition, “it…Trump4 min read
Jun 11Jan 6 hearing: Episode 1 — America’s domestic terrorism problemWhite “Christian” Nationalism continues to be the most dangerous threat to our Republic — Presbyterian Minister Elijah Parish Lovejoy was brutally murdered by a pro-slavery violent mob on November 7th, 1837 in Alton, Illinois. Reverend Lovejoy and his counterparts had become the targets of numerous attacks for preaching against slavery from the pulpit and publishing about its evils in his newspapers. A mob of…Racism7 min read
Jun 6A Place to Call HomeOur warriors deserve a place to rest and refit. Help us find them a forever home. “Every spirit builds itself a house; and beyond its house a world; and beyond its world, a heaven…. Build, therefore, your own world.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature My parents paid around $25,000 for…Veterans7 min read
May 27The Legend of Lou Diamond PhillipsOne night 26 years ago Lou taught me a lot about compassion — It was the summer of ’96. We were young adult midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy learning seamanship on Yard Patrol craft. We set sail from Annapolis and navigated the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the Delaware River and eventually the wide-open Atlantic Ocean. Under the watchful eyes of a…Entertainment6 min read
Apr 27What Leading Marines Can Teach Us About Leading Teams at Work Today“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.” ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre “Sir, you can tell me what to do or you can show me how to do it, but you cannot do both.” This remark, from one of my Marine Sergeants to me as a young Second Lieutenant, has guided my leadership style for more than twenty years. People do not…Leadership8 min read
Apr 6A War Worth Fighting Here at HomeAmerica, I am angry. You should be angry too. There is an enemy that has been waging the deadliest war against our warriors and it has been winning. More than 4 times as many U.S. post-9/11 veterans have died by suicide than in the entire Global War on Terrorism, War…Suicide6 min read
Published in GEN·Apr 4Never AgainWarriors live by an honor code. What the Russian military is doing in Ukraine are barbaric war crimes committed by soulless savages. It is time to put an end to this. — The shoes. What I will never forget are the shoes. The piles and piles of dusty old shoes are the visceral images seared in my mind from my initial military indoctrination. They smell like old clothes kept in your grandmother’s attic for years. Up close, you can see that some…Ukraine7 min read
