Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
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"
Scene: a bar on the back-end of the galaxy. “Look, I've got some stuff to say. I was a proud servant of the Empire for a full 20 years. And I saw some serious shit. Hi, yes, my name is NL-689, but all my mates called me Null. Served all over the galaxy and it …
Continue reading "Stormtrooper Goes on Veterans Day Rant"
If you’re like me, you discovered the TV show Firefly well after the time it first ran in 2003. While we were spared the original heartbreak that came when the show was not renewed for a second season - damn you, Fox - we are still reminded of our loss every time we watch the …
Continue reading "If “Firefly” Characters were in the U.S. Military"
When World War II came to a close in 1945, about 13 million service members began the transition into civilian life. Some had been in uniform for the whole four years; some, for just a few months. Some had served overseas; some had served at home. Many had been in terrible combat; many more had never …
Continue reading "We Need a Universal Veteran Symbol for America’s Recent Conflicts"
With Thanksgiving coming up this week - and your imminent return home to see your dear beloved family with whom you have not visited since the recent election - we here at Angry Staff Officer thought you might enjoy a short reprieve before you are forced to have an actual face-to-face discussion about politics with …
Continue reading "5 Common Things Military Servicemembers Do that Only Make Sense to Them"
It’s Veterans Day. Which means a proliferation of “thank you for your service” posts across social media from civilians which will be matched by the “I’m so special that you can’t understand my service,” posts from some – not all – veterans. This is what experts would say is indicative of the civilian-military divide that has …
Continue reading "What can Fallout 4 Teach us About Veterans Day?"
Guest post by Combat Cav Scout. His opinions as written here do not represent or reflect those of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Army. Title photo courtesy Politico. I don’t, as a general rule, give much mind to the opinions of war criminals. So imagine my astonishment as I sit here with a …
Continue reading "A Veteran’s Response to Allen West"
So Memorial Day weekend is just about upon us, which means one thing: the proliferation of Memorial Day memes in my Facebook feed that waver back and forth between letting me know the differences between this holiday and Veterans Day, and letting me know that no fun is to be had this weekend. And like …
Continue reading "Mil-splaining Memorial Day: Stop it"
I’ve been mulling over this idea of going back and revisiting old favorites, both in literature and film. If you’re like me, you read a lot of books growing up and probably had your favorites that you revisited time and again. Same with movies, TV shows, and documentaries. As we’ve gotten older – and our …
Continue reading "Tolkien and Combat Stress: Writing as a Release"
Today is the 61st Veterans Day. It comes at a time when many see a military-civilian divide. It is a good time to look back and examine why we have a day set aside for veterans and how to bridge the gap. It might strike some as odd that although we have had veterans even …
Continue reading "This Veterans Day, Let’s be Americans"
