Reflections

The fireplace crackles, just starting to warm the lodge’s lower-level living room on a quiet autumn evening in upstate New York. Someone lets loose a sigh, prompting me to look up and observe my company. Three others are cozied into their…

In the summer of 2015, some six months after exiting the Marine Corps, I took a run, not unlike hundreds before it. This time, though, I heard something snap in my back and collapsed to the ground. After five, maybe 10 minutes, I stood and…

Her fate was sealed before she even stepped off the plane at Agana Airport (Guam) in 1979. That’s a fact. The officers and chiefs had decided that the ensign was going to fail—they were not going to let a female line officer tell them what…

I remember it like it was yesterday. Receiving live ammo for the first time. It reminded me of when my dad would deal out .30-06 rounds the morning before a hunt. I never got over how similar those two feelings are.I remember landing and…

My calendar stood wide open that Saturday as I drove around listening to the local country radio station. So when I heard an advertisement for a resource fair for veterans at my favorite local brewery—Service Brewing Company—I figured I’d…

In the days after the planes struck on that cloudless, sun-soaked Tuesday morning, a pack of military recruiters descended upon a South Florida high school.The recruiters’ mission-focused gaze cut through the early afternoon humidity like a…

One by one, family and friends stepped up to the altar. They spoke of his bravery, leadership, and intelligence. They joked about his love for espresso.Before it was my turn to speak, I rushed to the bathroom, palms sweaty and stomach…

In the wasteland deserts of Kuwait, I crammed my gear into duffle bags, preparing to fly into Iraq for a yearlong deployment. At the same time, but on the other side of the planet, my wife gave birth to our first child.I packed ammo…

The invitation to the Padre Island Burger Club in Texas came in while Marine Corps 1st Lt. Allison Bennett was out sailing on a friend’s boat. A flight instructor in her naval aviation training squadron texted that he was meeting with a…

Active-duty service members and veterans thinking of harming themselves can get free crisis care. Contact the Military Crisis Line at 988, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255.In the summer of 2022, Craig Bryan, a…