Call it survival, or becoming jaded or cynical. Many combat veterans experienced a point in their service when things that “should” bother them don’t. It’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it, of course. In “normal” life, we don’t go up against situations that are horrific, horrible, or Read more…
The nation is stunned. On Monday, 2 October, the world woke to the news of yet another mass shooting. This time, it was a heinous attack on innocent concertgoers from the Mandalay Bay hotel by Stephen Paddock. It has been a topic of conversation by everyone; parents talking to their Read more…
“For those who fight to protect it, freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know” I often hear those words, and both agree and disagree. As a combat veteran, or even a veteran in general, I do appreciate things more now than I did before. I think that’s Read more…
“Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God help me, I do love it so.” – George S. Patton In a previous post, I wrote about how I hate war as only a warrior can. Something I wrote in there, however, was overshadowed by the Read more…
This post is an original article written by a combat medic. While desiring to remain anonymous, they also wanted their story heard. Any effort by any veteran to tell their story, in any way, is beneficial to both the veteran and the reader. I was standing there listening to Martinez tell Read more…
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ― H.P. Lovecraft Veterans are among the most courageous people that I know. Dauntless. Unstoppable. The Army has established seven core values that all Soldiers should possess: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Read more…
This post is an original article written by Keith Nightingale. COL Nightingale is a retired Army Colonel who served two tours in Vietnam with Airborne and Ranger (American and Vietnamese) units. He commanded airborne battalions in both the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 82nd Airborne Division. He later commanded both Read more…
In previous posts, I’ve talked about two different paradoxes that combat veterans experience. One that I’ve noticed, the violence of action paradox, discusses how veterans experience emotions that are protective in combat, but problematic while at home, and vice versa. Another is the paradox of the veteran story, in which Read more…
The boys of Metallica have done it again. They may or may not be to your taste, but for me, the song One from …And Justice For All always summed up what I knew to be the horrors of war. I think back to my own personal soundtracks through all Read more…
I’m not talking about the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Sherlock, or even the Basil Rathbone version of Sherlock. I’m talking about the original, fictional, A. Conan Doyle version of the famous consulting detective. I know what you’re thinking, “What, in all possible worlds, could a fictional character from the turn Read more…