Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Much ink has been expended on the follies of the Army of the Living at the Battle of Winterfell. But the antics of Jon and Daenerys stand as military genius compared to the Night King. He could have won the entire war without risk through manoeuvre. Only his obsession with a decisive battle doomed his …
Continue reading "The Real Failure at Winterfell"
"You're in the Army, you must not have any problems being assertive. You just say things and people do them, right?" Sitting in my counselor's office, these words fell on my ears and caused me to smile. Even in parts of the public where people are more familiar with the military, the idea of the …
Continue reading "The Importance of Being a Self-Aware Leader"
Guest post by LTC Scotty M. Autin Let’s do a test. Close your eyes and tell me what you think about when you hear the words “dreams”, “creativity”, “fantasy”, “smiles”, “magic”, and “generation”. Odds are, you probably thought about some variation of Disney. If so, then you’re a product of Disney’s brilliant brand language strategy. …
Continue reading "Want to build a combat focused culture in your unit? Start with your language"
On Veterans Day, at my son’s request, I sat in a crowded elementary assembly as part of a Veterans Day ceremony. I listened uncomfortably to fifth and sixth graders repeat what they had been taught in their classrooms about veterans and about military service: that veterans represent the best our country has to offer, that …
Continue reading "Fixing Veterans Day"
Veterans' Day. I am one of hundreds of thousands of service members. You are one of millions of people. You see me, and thank me for my service. I thank you for your support, and we go on our ways. It's a tried and true formula; I am thanked, and therefore gratified for public support, …
Continue reading "What is Our Service?"
As often happens around this time of year, I was asked to give a talk on Veterans Day to a local high school assembly. But while usually the words come more easily, this year I was sort of at a loss as I thought about what to say. How do I convey my complex and …
Continue reading "On Service: A Veterans Day Introspective"
Enemy forces in depth. Mass over maneuver. As an engineer officer, I care passionately about just a few things: castles, engineer buttons, and combined arms breaching. And while there were no engineer buttons at Helm's Deep - a simple oversight, I'm sure - that engagement encompasses a wide swathe of engineer lessons learned. Yes, this …
Continue reading "Warfighter: Helm’s Deep"
It's become cliche to say that social media is changing the world that we live in. But what the hell, I live for cliches, so let's go for it. I guess it would be more accurate to say that social media has already changed that world, and we just haven't seen all the effects yet. …
Continue reading "Pandora’s Inbox: The Army and Social Media"
By Matthew Ader Captain Roger’s performance at the Battle of Wakanda has been widely and rightly panned. But nothing has been said about the profound failures of his enemy, the Thanosians. Despite every possible advantage in manpower, materiel, and circumstance, they still failed. All students of the military art should examine how they so masterfully …
Continue reading "Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory on Wakanda"
It was a warm summer's morning as I stood hesitantly in the door of the church, removing my service cap and tucking it under my arm. I adjusted my tie and cast a glance at my uniform before stepping inside. Seeing a tall man in a black suit, I asked if this is where the …
Continue reading "On Rendering Honor"
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