[September 20, 2020] Warfare has always been present in our human species. And despite the terribleness of the battlefield, humans have, in fact, learned some terrible lessons. And thus, there has been broad agreement on laws of warfare established to prevent atrocities and unnecessary death. Unfortunately, there still are times when these agreed-upon laws of warfare are violated. … Read More »
[September 19, 2020] With the U.S. Presidential election less than two months away, the rhetoric between the candidates and political organizations are reaching a crescendo. Hopefully, by discussing candidate Joe Biden, we can move a little away from the hyperbole. Leaders are judged not so much by what they have done than by what they can do. This… Read More »
[September 17, 2020] Those who study statesmanship and the experienced leadership know how difficult it is to make progress on old and emotionally-laden political issues. Two days ago, the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel signed a peace deal with one another. Casual observers will not understand the significance of or difficulty in this achievement, and that is unfortunate. Those… Read More »
[September 16, 2020] Police in America are under siege. That should come as no surprise, and, unfortunately, many of our political leaders are encouraging violence against police officers across the nation. But there is at least one local Police Chief who is unwilling to “bend a knee” as other officers have done. Heber City Police Chief Dave Booth… Read More »
[September 15, 2020] If we were to look at one example of violence incited by leaders, the most notorious in the past century is Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, carried out on 9-10 November 1938 by the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party.1 The pretext for the attacks was the assassination of a German diplomat in… Read More »
[September 14, 2020] My first tour of duty in the U.S. Army was in West Germany; the year was 1974 and before the wall came down. While in-processing on a military base in the city of Bad Wimpfen, I was given a 12-hour pass that I used to tour the old city. There I met an old man… Read More »
[September 13, 2020] Yesterday, I attended an outdoor Salute to Veterans event in my town’s local park. It was a pleasure to be present at a hometown-style ceremony and to see so many friends and veterans, those I’ve not seen since March. Just to meet again so many who came to pay tribute to our veterans indeed made… Read More »
[September 12, 2020] Who was John “Black Jack” Pershing? I remember my dad talking about how he met Pershing in Hot Springs, Arkansas, during the 1930s and how impressive and focused the retired Army General was at the time. But John Pershing is, at best, an elusive figure in American history, where the fog of time obscured his… Read More »
[September 10, 2020] Laid out before us was a bounty of food and drinks, all in honor of our visit to Honduras. Our advanced party had been sent to determine the needs of our local military counterparts in their war against illegal (and very dangerous) drugs coming across their border from Nicaragua. Our soldiers were going to eat,… Read More »
[September 8, 2020] In early 2007, I was selected for command of a Brigade. When I was notified, I was in the middle of planning and executing U.S. President George Bush’s troop “surge” in the Iraq War. I was never busier, and yet, I had dropped into my lap one the most important assignments of my career. What… Read More »