Men of Iron: When Tank Crew Evaluators Rode the Beast

In an era before risk assessments, blast gauges, and traumatic brain injury protocols, Tank Crew Evaluators (TCEs) rode into live-fire gunnery on top of the turret—exposed and often holding on for dear life. It was a different time, a different Army. Some would say it was when tankers were men of iron riding machines of steel.

My poem for PTSD Awareness Month…God bless our military!

The Sentinel There exists a chamber in the garret where all the secrets dwell, slumbering beneath the dusty shrouds meant to conceal them for eternity. The passage, a narrow one, remains barricaded, padlocked and bolted, defended with the strength and stamina, the fervor and fortitude, the power and potency, the brawn and bravado of a …

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World War III Watch: Britain goes all out neocon

Prussian Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke the Elder wrote, “No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy’s main strength,” which is frequently bastardized as “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” I’m old enough to remember when debates in the United States were all about matching the Soviets in …

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Casting Lines of Peace: The Story of the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing

In the heart of war-torn Iraq, amidst the chaos of conflict and the austere surroundings of Camp Victory, a remarkable initiative unfolded—one that brought solace, camaraderie, and a touch of home to deployed service members. This is the story of the Baghdad School of Fly Fishing, a testament to the healing power of nature and the resilience of the human spirit.

World War III Watch: It Could Still Happen if People Get Stupid.

It was only a couple of days ago that the democratic West was buoyed by Ukraine’s deep strikes into Russia. From The Washington Post: Ukraine’s drones disrupt Russia with airport closures, internet blackouts As Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian territory, they are disrupting day-to-day life and reminding Russians that the war is not confined …

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From CW2 Cube to Culture War 2.1: How Matt Bracken’s Theory Evolved into Today’s Fragmented America

In the early 2010s, retired Navy SEAL and political novelist Matt Bracken published a provocative essay titled “CW2 Cube. In it, he proposed a three-dimensional model for understanding how a second American civil war might play out—not along neat geographic lines, but via complex interrelations of race, ideology, and allegiance to government authority.