I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell. – William Tecumseh Sherman I took a Read more…
This is the second part to my “Alamo” story. I have tried to recreate this event, locales and conversations from my memories of them. Writing this post has been a challenge. In order to maintain their anonymity, in some instances I have changed the names and home towns of individuals Read more…
Rules of War: Young warriors die You cannot change Rule #1 Someone must walk point I’m writing this post about a day I lived and should have died, in August 2010. It was nearing the end of my seven month deployment. “Alamo” is the code-word used over the radio informing Read more…
Musa Qala, Helmand Province “The British were chickens, but these men… the American Marines…They fight like animals, like they’re not even human.” -Intercepted radio transmission from a Taliban commander after losing Karamanda to 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment. May 2010. Afghanistan is notoriously nicknamed “the graveyard of empires.” Empire after Read more…