“History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.” – Ronald Reagan. The Wisdom of The Gipper When Vladimir Putin started this war in February, I’m not quite sure if he entirely anticipated the actual cost to his country in blood and treasure. He likely thought his massive army would […]
Op-Ed
So Why Exactly Do You Need So Many Guns?
As the debate over guns continues to rage in this country, the social media conversation has been dominated by memes and straw man arguments bandied about by the hardest-headed among both groups. Gun control and gun rights advocates both circle their proverbial wagons and congratulating one another on the new and witty ways they can […]
The warrior’s dilemma: My biggest parenting challenge has been renegotiating my relationship with death
On Thanksgiving Day this past November, something incredible happened: my wife gave birth to my beloved baby girl. It had been a long road, much longer than 9 months, and far more difficult a journey than most people realize. The birth of my daughter was more than a momentous occasion for my wife and I, […]
Op-Ed: Stop throwing gear at the things you suck at and train instead
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” — Miyamoto Musashi, “The Book of Five Rings” Getting “cool guy” gear and tricking out your firearm is awesome, I have several mods and bits of […]
Op-Ed: Gun ownership is tarnished by fools among us, keep your pistol holstered
Among those of us who carry a firearm on a day-to-day basis, it isn’t uncommon to hear us cite self-defense as the primary reason we lug our EDCs around with us. Indeed, the internet is rife with stories about legal concealed carriers stopping tragedies before they can happen, or ending them sooner than they otherwise […]
We all make our own sandwiches: A short story about life that got me through the Marine Corps
Two construction workers were hired for the same big job, and although they didn’t know each other, they soon started eating lunch together during their breaks. Each day, the two men would take a seat near their work, pop open the lunch boxes they brought from home, and exchange pleasant, if not superficial, conversation about […]
The time my Special Forces team accidentally burned down a Korean forest (Pt.2)
Note: This is part of a series. Read part one here. Dawn cracks in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and 10,000 roosters crow. My auditory senses are awakened. I stare at the olive drab of the tent canvas above my cot. Visual acquisition and, wait for it…wait for it…ah, there it is—olfactory perforation by rotton […]
The time my Special Forces team accidentally burned down a Korean forest (Pt.1)
I was a grunt, a ground-pounder, a door-kicker, a knuckle-dragger, a dog face, and a devil dog. I’ve been dogged-out and dog-tired, I’ve rucked until my dogs were barkin’ while it rained cats and dogs. I’ve had a dog in the fight, lived a dog’s life, gone to the dogs, been in the doghouse, and […]
‘Man, you got the life!’ — The truth about being a wilderness guide
“Man you got the life,” my client said as he stared out at the river. He walked out to the bank and started to slap the water with his rod tip, while his fly line piled up three feet in front of him. “Stop your rod tip a bit higher on the forward cast,” I […]
EMT who’s seen it all talks about the night he wishes he could forget
People often ask me: “What was the worst thing you ever saw on the ambulance?” I think they are expecting some gruesome story about a decapitation or something. I’ve seen dead kids, people shot in the head, chest, and legs, burns, and stab wounds to the heart. I’ve seen strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests, overdoses […]