There’s something about anniversaries that make them extremely important to veterans. Birthdays and wedding anniversaries are important to many people, of course, and are remembered with cards and gifts, but veterans celebrate different anniversaries than others. We remember milestones in our career: promotions, or deployments. We celebrate some, knowing that they Read more…
The news was broadcasting the image of unrest in Turkey. I sat there, watching, as civilians approached an armored vehicle with soldiers standing around it; as the civilians moved forward, the soldiers fired in the air, and I thought to myself, “Dear God, don’t let them have to fire on Read more…
A recent article on the New York Times web site talks about a senior Army leader, Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, how open and forthcoming he is about his experiences regarding mental health concerns, and the treatment he sought to address these concerns. In a recent social media conversation, I talked Read more…
If you want to see an example of military resilience, take a look at the movie Unbroken. This is a dramatization of the true story of Louis Zamperini, the Olympic athlete, Army Air Corps Bombardier, and WWII POW. If you haven’t heard Louis’ story, take a few minutes to check Read more…
If you ever want to interact with veterans in any way, I highly recommend that you listen to Jay Knight’s podcast, Veteranology, for an unvarnished inside look into what it’s like for a young leader in the military to rejoin the civilian world. Most specifically, one of the best episodes to Read more…
It’s not what you think. Even if you didn’t think it before, you may be thinking it now, because I brought it up, but it’s still not what you think. Several months ago, fellow blogger and veteran Kristina Evans authored a post about how to transition from one position to Read more…
This post was originally written as part of the ACA Blog Project. The original post can be found here. Here is the veteran story paradox: Veterans sincerely and adamantly want those that they care about, those they interact with, to know their story and understand their experiences, without having to tell them Read more…
I did something stupid once. Admittedly, I have done many different things at many different times that could be viewed as questionable from an intelligence standpoint, but here I’m referring to a particularly stupid thing that was done at a specific time. As my unit was leaving Iraq in December Read more…
There are some movies that are helpful when trying to explain combat and the impact of experiencing combat to those who haven’t been there. I’m not talking about Hollywood, although I do have a love-hate relationship with war movies. I don’t have the experience of Vietnam, but something tells me Read more…
Skip wasn’t the same when he came back from the war. By many accounts, including his own, he was a pretty “good boy” growing up, active in his community, doing well in school. It wasn’t easy growing up in Detroit, he didn’t know his biological father, but he and his Read more…