[January 7, 2025] The year ended with the execution of Saddam Hussein by hanging at approximately 5:00 in the morning on Saturday, December 30, 2006. His execution was for crimes against humanity. His co-conspirators were executed later. U.S. Americans had no part in the execution because this was part of our philosophy of allowing the Iraqis to run… Read More »
[January 4, 2025] I’ve been interested in seeing those things that are beautiful, and I’ve written about how beauty challenges us. Becca Segovia, a graphic designer, creates modern recreations from old paintings. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the landscape, bringing to life what was, at one point, a static or fixed piece of portrait art. We are going… Read More »
[January 3, 2025] There is a gathering storm over the world. Many scholars within today’s Islamic community are admitting their religion of Islam is the problem that spurs terror across the West. They are correct and things are getting worse. Unfortunately, these men – yes, they are all men – are also being targeted for speaking up. On… Read More »
[December 31, 2024] The war between Russia and Ukraine is important because it gives us a glimpse into the future, not just of warfare tactics and strategy, but of Russian President Putin’s ultimate goal. And within the past few days, Putin now claims that “We won’t negotiate! We’ll fight all of Europe!” In a TASS news article, Russian… Read More »
[December 29, 2024] Anyone who has spent any time in the military understands that every meal is a high point of the day (and mail call). A meal in the field during a military exercise, typically C-rations, is even better because it tastes extra good – so it seems. “C-rats” were a distraction from the dangerous and hard… Read More »
[December 26, 2024] There were so many Generals between III Corps and MNF-Iraq that it was hard for me to know who worked for who and, more importantly, who had the authority to direct our Engineers to do specific tasks. Every senior officer, it seemed, wanted us to do something – all of which made sense – but… Read More »
[December 24, 2024] She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Well, that’s an exaggeration. By this time, I’d been in combat for six months, and a woman in the red dress would turn the head of any man. It was Christmas Eve, 2006, when I arrived at the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters’ for a special… Read More »
[December 22, 2024] One of the most useful abilities of a good leader is to take a highly complex idea (or set of ideas) and put into a few short words the meaning that best describes that idea. So it was with Frederic J. Stimson, who took a formal challenge to debate a then-famous Socialist, James F. Carey.… Read More »
[December 14, 2024] The Big Band Era was in full swing and growing up in the 1950s and 60s, my parents made us all watch The Lawrence Welk Show. And they made me polka dance to the music. I hated it more than anything. Broadcast on black and white television until about 1965 (and then in Living Color),… Read More »
[December 13, 2024] Growing up in the pre-computer, pre-smart phone age offered a number of unexpected opportunities and advantages for boys. These were times when your parents expected you to take care of yourself, be self-reliant and possess grit and determination. And that’s where the saying, boys will be boys originated. Boys were essentially pushed out of the… Read More »