The three-quarter hurtle

Let’s say you step out of your home for a two-mile run. It goes well at first, especially once you find a rhythm and shake out all the kinks and stiffness in your legs. You hit the mile mark and turn around to head home. About 1.5 miles into the run, it begins to hit […]

The competitive act of quitting smoking

I have smoked on and off routinely for the better part of a decade now, and I’m attempting to quit yet again. I love cigarettes, and there is nothing better when you’re stuck in a conflict zone doing soldiery things, but I’m done with that and can’t think of a good reason to keep smoking […]

A culture of resignation

Adults. Why are they so dramatic about everything? They’re ruining all the things that matter to me — my parents won’t let me play with those kids from down the street; my teachers won’t let me have any fun when I want to. I guess I’ll just deal with it, what can you do? — The […]

Exploring your own backyard

I could use a trip to Iceland. Or to Brazil. Or Italy or Japan. Thailand is about to start getting into tourist season in a few months — that would be nice. I’ve seen the Instagram posts and hear the stories of friends or family who seem to be making these sorts of trips all […]

The philosophy of a ‘problem child’

He comes to the platoon, the first week on the job. He is five minutes late to a briefing with the 1st Sgt. since he was busy working out the logistics of the new truck he just bought (which has an APR that’s through the clouds). He’s not good at PT, but you think that […]

‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ — The complexities of modern war

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t spoil it here — watch it first, then come back. When I heard that “Sicario” was getting a sequel, my first question was “why?” The first film was great, but was a sequel really necessary? “Sicario” had a pretty definitive beginning, middle, and end and was certainly not […]

‘The Wild Bunch’: an epic western

The Western movie genre is one that I enjoy a great deal. When I saw Luke Ryan’s article about “The Magnificent Seven” I thought I’d write one about of my favorite film in the genre. The film in question is the polar opposite of the adaptation of “Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa, “The Magnificent Seven,” […]

Stay Tooned: Time to re-enlist

Re-enlistment bonuses are friggin sweet! I didn’t get one, though — one and done I always say. Pilots are getting bank for staying in and flying for a living. Hell, I wish I got a regular enlistment bonus. That would have been awesome, but I still would have blown it all on dumb stuff. I […]

Reading (and writing) about war in the information age

The way the details of war have been communicated has changed quite a bit in the last few hundred years, then again in the last hundred years, and finally again since the dawn of the internet. What was once a void of information has been filled, and sometimes oversaturated with reports, books and firsthand accounts […]

Fauda: Israeli Series in The War on Terror Is Gritty, Brutal, Must-Watch TV

It isn’t often that I get surprised like this weekend when a very good friend of mine mentioned the Netflix series “Fauda” that is produced in Israel. He and his wife had been watching it and called me to recommend it. The exact words were, “if you like ‘Homeland’ then you’ll love Fauda” The story […]

Woman Dies in Britain After Being Exposed to Nerve Agent Novichok

A British woman from Amesbury died after she was exposed by the nerve agent Novichok on Sunday. That is the same nerve agent that was used in an assassination attempt on a former Russian spy in England only about 11 miles away from the latest poisoning. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after she was exposed to […]

‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960) — A tale of an honest cause

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t spoil it here — watch it first, then come back. “The Magnificent Seven” by John Sturges is a reimagining of one of my favorite films, “Seven Samurai.” Instead of a tumultuous time in old Japan, “The Magnificent Seven” is set in the Old West, just across the border […]