The Intellectual Boot Camp

I often have recurring dreams about the absurdity of military boot camp. I relive the sense of having a knifehand at my throat, scared shitless as the drill instructor spits profanity in my face. He'll do this again and again so that I can come to intuit, instead of just imagine, a sense of discipline …

The Unedited War Story of a Veteran

War is not the veteran's story. Their story is about what it means to serve and the consequences of choosing to do so.

6. Battle for peace and quiet

Convoys rumble by in an endless thunder. Helicopters rip the space-time fibers of the sky bellowing the pre-attack drone of a moonsized wasp nest. I'm getting a blink and a half of sleep. A fireteam [unit of 3-4] of ASVAB-waivers [not smart servicemembers] are howling encouragement to a background of heavy-equipment operators I've distinctly identified are trying to …