[April 20, 2017] We’ve all been told that railroads in the United States are a technology of the past and will soon go the way of the dinosaur. The classic steel rail and wooden crossbeam, heavy railroad car, and diesel locomotives are bound for the scrapheap … so they say. They are wrong and that is why the… Read More »
[March 13, 2017] I know that it may seem an unlikely story, but it is true that I actually met a Japanese Kamikaze pilot from World War II. Since their primary task was to attack Allied naval vessels by crashing their planes into ships, meeting one was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. McGuire Air Force Base hosts… Read More »
[March 9, 2017] Years ago while studying for my undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University, I also worked a part-time job that involved training dogs. Several days a week I would walk one of my personal-bodyguard dogs to the local park. Passing a public housing area en route I saw through nearly every open door intravenous drug users… Read More »
[March 5, 2017] There’s a worldwide war on those who manufacture and distribute illicit drugs and that war is mostly hidden from Americans and the most affluent in Western democracies. The war is deadly and how it’s played out is best illustrated in the case of the small country of the Philippines. Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte is the new… Read More »
[March 3, 2017] The use of mankind’s propaganda goes back in time well before written records were kept. Its practical use is undeniable. For those us who study it, we know that the idea of keeping people accurately informed is often blurred with propaganda, depending upon the intent of those wielding power. Architectural propaganda is a variant of… Read More »
[March 1, 2017] Trust and confidence is a fundamental attribute of leadership. It is the ability to build strong trust and confidence in others that makes a leader and furthermore it is a leader’s credibility that is drawn from those who work in similar professions. That brings me to a story from a good friend of mine who… Read More »
[February 28, 2017] An old axiom in the U.S. military is that to be the best leader possible, one must chose the right people and give them the authority and freedom to do their jobs. Choosing good people is not an easy task but is necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of any organization. “Leadership consists of picking… Read More »
[February 1, 2017] This is my fifth and last in a series on my personal views of the War in Iraq. The years 2005-2006 were the formative years after our invasion of the country and much of the perspective of the U.S. military was formed during that time. We all were closely involved daily with ordinary Iraqis, hometown… Read More »
[January 18, 2017] This is my fourth post in a series on my personal view of the War in Iraq. It spans my thoughts after one year in combat during its early years; 2005-2007. That was a time where many of us got to know the Iraqis, terrorists, other combat troops, contractors, hometown folks, reports, and politicians. To… Read More »
[January 11, 2017] Pashtunwali … if you’re reading this, then you’ve likely never heard this word spoken aloud. The meaning, of course, will elude you but most importantly you will never understand its full meaning as intended. You cannot understand fully the code of ethics of Pashtunwali unless you’ve personally lived it from childhood. No amount of study… Read More »