The Department of Motor Vehicles was a good place to lose your identity, not find it, especially 30 minutes before closing. I sat surrounded by strangers balanced on wobbly folding chairs, the endless announcements blared extra loud, and you could feel an edge to the air every time a new ticket was called. Without looking […]
Iraq
Posted inReflections
A Combat Infantryman Stood In the Gap. Made the Calculation. Pulled the Trigger. But At What Cost?
A decade has passed since I last felt the thud of a mortar hitting the perimeter or the specific metallic scent of an IED-charred road, yet I’m still waiting for the “homecoming” to actually begin. To the person standing behind me in the checkout line, I am just another civilian. Perhaps a bit too observant, […]
Posted inReflections
Another Conflict Roils the Middle East. A Marine Warns the War Will Come Home
As an infantryman who carried a rifle through Fallujah, watching the news feels dizzying, almost unreal. I kicked in doors in the Middle East; I watched friends bleed. I know what war really looks like when the cameras leave and the speeches end. My daughter is almost 16 now, almost as old as I was […]
Posted inReflections
I Decided Not To Go On a Patrol in Iraq. An IED Killed My Friends
On the morning of May 25, 2006, I didn’t go out. Capt. Doug Dicenzo invited me to come along to meet some local Iraqi leaders, and I had previously shown him the safer routes to take. But on the day of the meeting, I had other duties to attend to. Truthfully, I had survived enough […]
Posted inReflections
Curing Insomnia with Magic: How One Veteran Finally Got a Good Night’s Sleep
The ridiculous thing about war is that I remember being excited. For the first 90 days or so, I was constantly excited, and I don’t mean in a “joyous,” emotionally positive way. I mean excitement in the strictly physiological sense: raised heart rate, increased breathing, mind racing a mile a second. That state could describe […]
Posted inReflections
We Pined for the Comforts of Home. We Got Tube Socks and Old Candy for Christmas Instead
Green Berets lament Americans don’t understand the needs of modern soldiers after receiving tube socks and canned soup in Christmas care packages.
Posted inReflections
I Was Exposed to 150 Blasts While Deployed to Iraq. My Brain Was Changed
After being exposed to IED blasts during an Iraq deployment, an Army chaplain’s assistant grapples with the effects of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.
Posted inReflections
He Was Clutching a Satchel and I Aimed to Kill. Then, the Iraqi Civilian Fell to His Knees
On the hunt for IEDs in Iraq, the Army soldier nearly shoots a civilian hiding in the shadows
Posted inReflections
Four Siblings Joined the Military. Almost 30 Years Later, Only Two Remain
Army veteran vows to keep living after one brother was killed in the Iraq War and another committed suicide after returning with PTSD and injuries.
Posted inNewsroom
The First Battle of Fallujah: ‘We Hurt Ourselves in So Many Ways’
Twenty years on, the battle is viewed as a turning point in the Iraq war, serving as a reminder of the complexities and consequences of modern warfare.
Posted inReflections
The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?
Twenty years after America invaded Iraq, a veteran and spouse imagines the war’s costs will only grow.
Posted inReflections
Note to Self: When They Come for You in the Night, Don’t Give Up. Fight Back.
Through it all—the good and the bad—always remember you will achieve your goal. Keep your chin up, endure, and always remember: It will be OK.
