Moral Waivers
Not everyone is fit for the Army, but a loophole overlooks that.
Entries by Augusto Giacoman
Rage and the Manger
Back from a deployment and triggered by the mundane, a former infantry officer discovers his unprovoked rage.
Sadr City Sniper
There are many moments in war—the surprises, the close calls. A former infantry officer reflects on one that had both.
Pumpkin Head
A former infantry officer contemplates the numbing effects of war and inhumanity.
Pop Bangers and IED Explosions
Augusto Giacoman danced to Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” as his convoy patrolled Mosul, Iraq. And then the IED exploded.
I Volunteered To Be The Hot Sauce Man
A midnight raid on a West Point dorm in which Augusto Giacoman was armed with hot sauce prepared him for war better than West Point’s rigid rules.
Go In For A Haircut, Leave With A Beating
Augusto Giacoman went in for a haircut, high and tight. Then things went terribly wrong.
Those Are The Eyes Of A Demon
Augusto Giacoman parked his Stryker under the streetlights and then the bomb exploded. What happened next is a hazy mixture of memory and nightmare.
Until He Saw the Terror They Sowed
Augusto Giacoman almost jumped for joy when he was assigned his first midnight raid, but what he saw that night quickly changed his mind.
