[February 19, 2023] Today is the anniversary of the first day of the invasion of Iwo Jima during World War 2. Of all the battles, this is one of the most famous and most brutal. But the battle gave the Allies a wake-up call of what was to come as our forces closed on mainland Japan. Four days… Read More »
[February 18, 2023] The takeover of Twitter this past October by Elon Musk and the follow-on investigative reporting of what is known as the “Twitter Files” is one of the most important events of this century. Journalists Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss, and a small number of others began to peel back the many layers of deep corruption within… Read More »
[February 17, 2023] Not that long ago, I was a Soldier. The life of those in the military is difficult for many reasons; I seemed to get the most difficult of assignments in the worst locations on Earth. Perhaps I asked this job to be challenging, yes! I deserved it. Perhaps it was because I had “bad luck,”… Read More »
[February 16, 2023] During my first combat tour in Iraq, I had two photos. One of my children, nicely framed and sitting where I could see them every day. And a second of a motivational poster starring Jane Fonda sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun surrounded by NVA soldiers. The poster read, “Treason. Yes, it was –… Read More »
[February 15, 2023] All the great men I’ve known had a remarkable capacity for controlled aggression. That aggression was closely contained so they could use it carefully when needed. And in doing so, they gave them dignity, which made others around them respect them. Many suspect those men were tough, experienced, intelligent military men, but that is not… Read More »
[February 14, 2023] Love. Are the origins of Valentine’s Day a story of love? Is it a myth? Is it even true? Followers of St. Valentine understand that we will never know the origins, yet that is not important. What the origins tell us is the recognition of heroism in the classic sense. It’s the story of doing… Read More »
[February 13, 2023] Regular readers of this blog know that one of my jobs is to highlight others who can point out lessons we can learn from the mistakes people make. Petter Hörnfeldt (Mentour Pilot), a Swedish Captain, shows airline failures, mechanical problems, and the human element and explains why aircraft crashes occur. Hörnfeldt is the creator and… Read More »
[February 12, 2023] We all make mistakes, and while that may seem obvious, it is not so obvious what those mistakes may turn out to be and why they are mistakes. A few days ago, I wrote that men often don’t realize they are making mistakes until it’s too late. Within the theme of raising awareness, here are… Read More »
[February 11, 2023] Several readers wrote to me pointing out that recently captured Russian military gear (e.g., helmets, body armor, boots) are for sale on eBay, Etsy, and several other sites. The claim is that this gear, mostly individual combat equipment, was captured during the Ukraine War and is being offered as a war trophy. The question is… Read More »
[February 10, 2023] Why do terrible things happen worldwide? The answer is quite simple; it’s because you’re not good enough and because you don’t tell the truth, and you know it, and because you can’t make a decision. A basic rule of leadership is, “Make a decision.” That’s what real leaders do. “Be decisive. Right or wrong, make… Read More »