Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
I will not apologize for my horrendous title. You deserve it. When the world is a mess, you lean into your reading list. Hard. This month was a solid mix of military history and historical fiction, with author Naomi Novik once again dropping some bangers. She is rapidly turning into one of my favorite authors. …
Continue reading "April Showers Bring May Books"
As many of you know - and are no doubt really excited for - next years begins the semiquincentennial of the Revolutionary War here in the United States. Or, for those of us who have trouble with a jawbreaker like that, the 250th anniversary. Now, a bunch of you - not, not you of course, …
Continue reading "Understanding the Revolutionary Era: Recommended Reading List"
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:"
The ideas presented by the founders - debated, argued, and finally articulated in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - were not just meant for the people of that century. They were meant for all who would come after them. They stand as an idea, not as something that has been enshrined into existence. The …
Continue reading "An Ongoing American Revolution"
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"
When trying to understand Army doctrine, we tend to get too tied up in the gritty little details of doctrine itself. An example of this would be any number of the required briefings that come with with Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). Staffs spend more time formatting the briefing products - whether on PowerPoint or …
Continue reading "Warfighter: Bunker Hill"
There's one of those old pithy military sayings that is so old that it has been attributed to everyone and no one: "Friendly fire - isn't." I'd like to paraphrase that regarding military terrain: "Impenetrable terrain - isn't." Terrain is one of those features of military history and analysis that I feel never gets its …
Continue reading "Impenetrable Terrain – Isn’t"
A recently discovered letter from a Massachusetts militiaman in the Continental Army reveals what life was like for the brave men fighting in the American Revolution. The letter is presented here in its original form, with the lower case "s" appearing as it would have at the time since the tendency was to put a …
There’s a moment on the television show “Scrubs” (the greatest thing to ever air on American television) when the young resident John Dorian (JD) becomes paralyzed by the fear of accidentally killing a patient by making a mistake. In this mindset, he veers away from making any risky decisions or undertaking any procedures that might …
Continue reading "World War III: Stop Trying to Prevent It"
Let's be honest, we all watch far too much television. In the old days, when our ancestors had no electricity and far too many brain cells, they occupied their time by reading silly things like the Iliad and other such classics. Because of this, they were able to associate current events with Classical literature, forming …
Continue reading "If U.S. Wars were Arrested Development Characters"
The Angry Staff Officer 
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