Category: Veterans

Fellow Police Officers: It’s OK to Die in Defense of Others

Commentary To my fellow police officers. It’s OK to die in defense of others. I want that statement to hit you like a ton of bricks, and I want you to decide now if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for others. When I say others, I mean your family, your colleagues, and all those…


A Middle Eastern Veteran Caught Between Cultures

by Ayman Kafel It was the middle of the night in the cold Iraqi desert. It sounds funny to say “cold desert,” but that’s what it was. The Praetorians and Spartan 6 were conducting a combat patrol during an Iraqi election. Every time an election came around in Iraq, it was met with violence and…


Qualified California Veterans Get Free Tolls on State Bridges Starting This Year

In a new program that went into effect Jan. 1, qualified U.S. military veterans can now receive free tolls on California bridges. The benefit is part of Assembly Bill 2949, which was signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30, 2022. To qualify, a veteran needs to have a California license plate…


Bad Military Leaders: Toxic Versus Radioactive

by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint “Toxic” leaders are bad, but they’re not the worst kind of leaders out there. The absolute worst leaders are “radioactive.” Oh, you didn’t know that there was a difference? Well, let me explain… _____ I’ve been blessed over the course of my career to know many excellent leaders. During…


Most Americans Believe That Most Veterans Have PTSD

by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint According to PR Newswire, a Harris poll conducted in June 2021 indicated that a majority of Americans believe most veterans have PTSD. That’s a problem, and based on more recent data, it does not appear to be getting better. The survey of 2,000 respondents indicated a belief by most…


What Is a ‘Military Strategist’ Anyway?

You’ve probably heard talking heads on network TV being described as “strategists.” But what does that term even mean? Let us pretend for a moment you are a dentist. It took you years to receive the training you would need to be certified and licensed. Now, imagine I walk up to you in a meeting…


How the 75th Ranger Regiment Taught Me to Dance

by Charles Faint I was never in the Ranger Regiment, but I’m fortunate to know a lot of Rangers. I even helped write a book about them, once upon a time. But this is a different story, a story about how a unit I was never in, taught me to dance. I was in the…


Prison Dogs | Documentary

This film is only available in the United States because of territorial licensing. “The day that my crime occurred, it was a street beef, I felt threatened, and ultimately just pulled out a gun and​ ​shot a kid,” says inmate​ Luis Diaz. “I really hate the person who I was then. I’m looking for forgiveness….


Bowling for America… in The Philippines?

by Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles Faint So, when it was all over, China brought nothing. The EU team brought balloons. The Belgians brought cheerleaders. But the Americans brought… home the trophies. U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!! _____ For a few months in late 2019, I served what turned out to be my last “deployment” in the U.S. Army….


China Creeps Closer: ‘Creeping Normalcy’ and the Threat to the US

by Scott Faith Fueled by a skyrocketing economy and dreams of worldwide dominance, China’s military power is progressing in the Pacific Ocean and around the world through a process of “creeping normalcy.” The U.S. Air Force defines the phenomenon thusly: Creeping normalcy refers to the way major, and often unacceptable, change can be accepted as normal if…