Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
The Army has a problem with self-reflection. And in the wake of the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, this has never been more evident. I mean, it's not like the Army has any lack of things to reflect upon. Let's take, oh I don't know, the Army post-Vietnam, for example. When the Army …
Continue reading "The Army Post-GWOT: A Reckoning Ignored"
Collective memory is a fascinating thing. "Never forget." That's a phrase that we often hear associated with things like 9/11 or Pearl Harbor, usually splashed across social media pages on the anniversary of those days. Or maybe there are calls to never forget the sacrifices at Normandy or Bastogne. These national calls for memory tend …
Continue reading "American War and American Memory"
It was 1866, and the men of the US Army, Navy, and Marines had destroyed the rebellion on the battlefield and ushered in a "new birth of freedom." Their work done, they hoped to return to lives filled with the fruits of their blood and toil. That year, they formed a veterans' organization called "The …
Hey, Army Engineer community, pull up a chair, we need to have a little chat about how we talk about our own history. Somehow, we always let the infantry, armor, and field artillery take center stage when it comes to talking about badass historical figures. We just sort of sit back and mutter, "Well, we …
Continue reading "Francois de Fleury: the Most Badass Engineer of the American Revolution:"
This morning, the Virginia state capitol in Richmond saw dozens of armed men gathering to demonstrate their support for the Second Amendment of the US Constitution - the right to bear arms. These men were not merely bearing arms, however; they were fully accoutered in the trappings of what one would call a paramilitary group: …
Continue reading "Stop Calling Armed Mobs the “Militia”"
If you’re like me, you’ve always wondered where some of the wonky unit numbers in the US Army come from. Like, where did the other 99 airborne divisions other than the 82nd and 101st go? Did we ever have 503 infantry regiments at the same time? The answer comes down as a combination of some …
Continue reading "Army Unit Numerical Designations: Where do they come from?"
So, we know all about the heroes of the American Revolution, right? George Washington, John Adams, Paul Revere – OK, well, not him, he was a good silversmith, an average errand rider, and a godawful general. But odds are you probably haven’t heard of Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kosciuszko. Nor can you spell it or pronounce …
Continue reading "Thaddeus Kosciusko: The Polish Engineer You Never Heard of who Saved America"
On April 1, seven states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia - will begin their celebration of Confederate Heritage Month. As a counter to this narrative of southern hegemony, I'd like to take a moment and celebrate those Southerners who remained loyal to the United States and who - if they were …
The Siege of Louisbourg by Domenick d’Andrea and Rick Reeves (National Guard Heritage Series) There's this thing in the Army where the Active Component is always looking down its nose at the Reserve Component, specifically the National Guard. Why? Because the National Guard is part-time, of course, "weekend warriors" and all that. But also because …
Continue reading "Eight Times the National Guard Saved the Day"
"This is the great reward of service, to live, far out and on, in the life of others." - Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain I came upon this quote about four years ago - near the 100th anniversary of Chamberlain's death - and right around the time that France, Germany, the UK (and the Commonwealth Countries) were …
Continue reading "Armistice and After: The Legacy of the WWI Generation in the U.S."
The Angry Staff Officer 
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