Tag: Veterans

Law Enforcement or Military: My Face Hurts … A LOT

The week had been ramping up to this. All the prior training, all the talk, the boasting, and the detailed descriptions from my shipmates ran in endless loops in my head. I was next in line to get sprayed. The first guy just finished and was doing his best to breathe as they splashed the…


Tobacco Musings in Puerto Vallarta

Commentary I stand on the fantail and stare out at the buildings across the bay from the cutter. We’re moored in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, one of the more popular spring break destinations in this part of the world. Having spent the previous day driving back and forth between the resort and the boat, I can…


Theres More to Do to Look After Returning Soldiers: Veterans Affairs Minister

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh says there is more to do in making sure defence personnel are looked after following their return home. As Australians mark Anzac Day, Keogh said the country had an important duty to care for service men and women. “We have a responsibility to look after our veterans, whether they’ve served…


We Were Soldiers’ Wives Once … and Young

Commentary My Life As An Army Wife When growing up in the 1950s in rural North Carolina, I never had any association with the military, having never spent time around military bases or having much contact with military people or their families. In early 1963, I had my first real exposure to military life, when…


Where Were You When Saddam Hussein’s Statue Came Down?

Commentary Saddam Hussein’s statue was pulled down on April 9, 2003. I doubt many civilians old enough to remember it could say where they were when they first saw those images. But for those in the military at the time, even 20 years later, I bet that you do. Before I tell you where I…


The Air Force Needs Fewer Leaders and More Wrench-Turners–Here’s How to Get Them

Commentary There is a mega-corporation here in the United States where the CEO tells every employee that they must move up within the company and eventually achieve top executive status. Every entry-level role is expected to advance within a specified timeframe, and if you aren’t able to meet the advancement schedule you are summarily terminated….


The Ghazni Eight

Commentary We ran ammo bunker “missions” all the time. It was really more of a work detail. In the early days of 2003, the Afghan National Army (ANA) was still in its infancy, being stood up and mentored by the U.S. and NATO partners. Part of standing up was to stockpile equipment and ordnance for…


Afghanistan: We Gave You Our Dead, You Give Them Their Meaning

Commentary I write this today, not as an individual, but as a veteran of the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. I’ve compiled some thoughts of the community to share some of the more prescient points and the general feelings of Afghan War Vets, Wounded Warriors, Gold Star Families, and Afghans living in the United States….


Dog and Pony Shows, Elephant Walks, and Other Air Force Circuses

Commentary What I’m about to say applies to any VIP, including civilians, and some of it will be tongue-in-cheek, but please try to see the underlying concept without taking offense. Firstly, let me get a personal beef off my chest. In the year 2022, with all the talk of having good leadership principles, why are…


Rookie Senior Golfers Reap Mental, Physical Benefits

George Salem was about 55 years old when he ventured out on a golf course with one of his buddies. “I enjoyed it and went back again. I started playing once a week,” Salem, an associate professor at the University of Southern California, told The Epoch Times. “It was from that experience that I began…