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Memorial Day doesn’t need to be treated as a national military funeral
"Don’t be ashamed to have a good time this Memorial Day — that’s part of the gift that’s been bestowed to you"
‘Halt, or I’ll shoot’ — An Army veteran reflects on Operation Desert Storm
“I don’t know any Arab except ‘Halt, or I’ll shoot!’”
Our country needs to rekindle the unity we felt after September 11th
Editor's note: This article first appeared in 2016 and is being republished for the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist...
I learned to understand shame after losing my brother on September 11th
"I would go on to serve two deployments to Iraq as a soldier and one deployment to Afghanistan as a civilian advisor, and each time, I would feel the physical manifestation of the grief I felt after losing my brother"
I was in the wrong fight in Iraq. As an immigration lawyer, I found the right one
Editor's note: this post first appeared in November, 2016 I can’t remember the exact moment (if there even was one)...
The misappropriation of Pat Tillman’s legacy
There is an inherent connection between warfighting and politics, one that has complicated how and why we honor our nation’s war dead since the nation's foundin
The VA has some serious problems with how it handles claims of military sexual trauma
Too often, military sexual trauma survivors report being re-traumatized by the very system that's meant to help them
They started the US war against ISIS. Now they have an important message for Trump on abandoning the Kurds
You've heard from politicians. You've heard from pundits. Now it's time you hear from two U.S. military veterans who were among the first to take the fight to ISIS five years ago — and know exactly what an irrevocable mistake the administration of President Donald Trump has made in Syria
Don’t let foreign adversaries turn Facebook against us
Vietnam vets are part of the age group that's growing fastest on Facebook and that's most likely to vote, making them an efficient target for our enemies
Toxic leadership at the top
Unfortunately, our commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, exhibits the qualities of a toxic leader
Here’s why the Marine Corps is losing experienced pilots — and what it can do to fix it
If this exodus is not effectively addressed, our ability to fight from the air could be critically compromised in a way that will take decades from which to recover
No, the US military shouldn’t lower the enlistment age to 16 so children can fight
There are bad ideas, and then there are bad ideas
50 year ago, I vandalized the ROTC offices at Northwestern. Here’s why (and how) I’m now atoning
"My error of judgment regarding ROTC years ago was to see only the very short term and miss the longer term value of the institution, both as a contribution to democratic values and in making a smarter military"
‘We were treated like second-class citizens’ — a female Marine reflects on her two decades of service
Jackie Huber was one of the few, but she never felt particularly proud as a woman Marine.
What The US Army Should Learn From the British Army’s Punchy Recruiting Campaign
The U.S. Army will always face challenges recruiting the soldiers it needs, but an uphill battle is no excuse not to strive to do better —or learn from other countries' modernization efforts
Pay The Coast Guard Or Risk Losing The Next Generation Of Public Servants
The Coast Guard does so much the masses on your local beach don't see.
The Brits Found The Wreck Of A Continental Navy Warship. Now They’re Plotting Their Revenge
The remains of John Paul Jones' ship, the Bonhomme Richard, have been found just off the British coast, and are supposedly visible from a cliff and walkable at certain tides
Speaking Truth To Power: How Promotion Seeking Pollutes Decision-Making
What can we do to counter the negative effects of ambitious promotion seeking? Don't look at your evaluation, speak truth to power, and strive for impact, not promotion
3 Tips On How To Make It Through A Serious History Book
3 Tips On How To Make It Through A Serious History Book
How To Get Beyond The Army’s ‘Cargo Cult’ Approach To Mission Command
Cargo Cultists provide an example of how not to implement change — one the Army should consider as it struggles to make Mission Command a reality
Sir, Put Down Your Narrative And Step Away Slowly
I am skeptical of a lot of the recommendations I read on leadership, which often strikes me as pyramids of buzzwords, but I liked this article by a former British submariner who went on to do a PhD in leadership.
The Qualities The British Army Looks For In Officers Assigned To Advise Foreign Militaries
The British Army has an interesting take on what makes a good advisor to foreign forces
The AI Column: The Most Important Challenge To Trump’s Trade War With China
The murky relationship between trade, technology, and national security will remain a problem
It’s Time For ‘The Long March’ To Come To A End
Here's a letter I sent last week to the fine people who run Task & Purpose. We'll be wrapping things up over the next week or so
Marine Commandant Gen Neller Shows The Right Way To Respond To Criticism From Within
The lead letter in the January issue of the Marine Corps Gazette is a salute from Commandant Gen. Robert Neller thanking the magazine for the articles