Category: Expert Analysis

Motivation is a fickle beast.  It comes on suddenly, sometimes when you least expect it, and you let the burning need for progress wash over you as you promise yourself that things will change starting tomorrow.  Then, after a good night’s rest, morning comes and as you rise up from your bed, those feelings of […]

When building their own first aid kit, most military veterans have a decent idea of what they might need—at least when it comes to life-saving care, and especially in the realm of massive hemorrhaging. There might need to be some research done in terms of civilian-specific care, but generally speaking, veterans will go ahead and […]

What does a children’s book have to do with war? Most people who have read the installments of “The Chronicles of Narnia” read them as a child or read them to their children. Like “The Hobbit” or a boatload of modern Disney movies, they are highly entertaining to most adults too, but are generally geared […]

I’m generally the last person to pretend like Hollywood is some big conglomerate with singular objectives, and not the multiple businesses with multiple interests and agendas that it is. There is no one “agenda” and they aren’t trying to push one image or the other as a whole, though it can often seem that way […]

Sometimes you get lucky and your plan works just as you thought it would. Enjoy those days, because there will not be many of them. No matter how smart you are or how hard you work, on the battlefield, the enemy always gets a vote. The famous philosopher Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan […]

Over the years, I’ve done a fair amount of traveling, both in uniform as a U.S. Marine and on my own accord, and although this may sound a little too much like a meme you might find on Tumblr, those experiences have indeed granted me a bit of perspective.   No, it wasn’t about the deeper […]

Peshawar, Pakistan — At least 13 people have been killed in Peshawar, just under 100 miles from the capital city, Islamabad. Armed men disguised themselves in burqas, walked into a university and shot multiple people. Over 35 people were also wounded. Local law enforcement and military personnel responded and reportedly subdued and killed the militants. […]

Like most introspective people, I’m not really sure if I’m capable of ever being truly content.  I’m at my very best, mentally and emotionally, when I’m entirely invested in accomplishing a goal, reaching an objective or completing a project.  It’s because of that need for accomplishment that I’ve accumulated what some might call an impressive […]

Ever wondered how your performance stacks up on a global stage? Wonder no more, a British company has developed an interactive condom, the i.Con. It lights up, detects sexually transmitted diseases and sends data to your smartphone so you can see how your performance rates against the data from other people from around the world. […]

I lay prone next to a wooden shed, my M16A2 up at the ready. In my sights was a lone enemy figure, some 50 yards away who had just entered my field of view. I bring up the rifle to quickly line up my rear sight with my front sight post. The sights bobbed just […]

Let me start by saying that I loved “Dunkirk” and found it to be incredibly compelling and visually stunning. If you disagree then you’ll probably disagree with the contents of this article–no hard feelings. War movies are incredibly hard to make. For every classic war film, there are a dozen failed attempts by directors that […]

A Special Forces instructor throws down the gauntlet, laying out the case against cronyism and careerism at the Qualification Course.