The view from the cockpit windows of a Royal Air Force E-3D AWACS is pretty enough. Any view from high above in the air is stunning, with the Earth’s curve barely visible, the sky growing darker blue the higher you go, and the clouds far beneath, casting long shadows across…
Why do I love the outdoors? Where else can you get a therapist, an art room, and a personal gym all in one package—no membership cost? Nature does have a way of humbling you, reminding you of your place, keeping you small, and simultaneously making you more alive than you’ve…
“The VA’s Mental Health ‘Care’: Where Veterans Go to Get Ignored” Ah, the Veterans Administration, America’s gesture of appreciation for our service. Instead of a welcome with open arms, it’s more like being given directions and saying, “Good luck finding the exit.” For vets who have mental health problems, that…
A few years ago, after being diagnosed with PTSD and just before my divorce, I slept on the couch in our house. Insomnia was my constant companion, so I spent the hours watching TV, hoping to distract my restless mind. I ended up being stuck on a show about plane…
Down in the woods by a glinting lake, where the wind hummed with the thrum of insects and the laughter of boys, Scout Camp was a whirlwind. It was that type of camp where the air was pine needles and anticipation, and the potential for trouble never ceased. The leaders…
During my 11 years in the Navy, I can’t say I was a model sailor by any stretch of the imagination. I wasn’t a total screw-up or a dirtbag, but I definitely had my share of boneheaded moments. Actually, if I’m being honest, I had more than my share. What…
Seventeen years. A lifetime, yet the memories are clear, etched into my memory like the graffiti on a monument. Cameron Hall, Ryan Betton, and Jerry Smith. It’s hard to imagine it has been so many years since that day, yet some wounds never close. They might scar over, allow us…
I’ve cut through ocean’s restless tide, where steel and salt embrace the sky, And soared beyond where eagles glide, Into the boundless, blackened high. Through whispers of the midnight wind, I’ve sailed on wings both tried and true, In silent arcs where stars rescind, Their light to those who fade…
Photos on the wall, Echoes of a life I can’t recall. Fragments of moments, both bitter and sweet, In a tapestry woven with memories I’d rather delete. Photos on the wall, Of times I’d rather forget. I can’t pick and choose Which memories to keep, which to lose. Should I…
They say it’s a long road to paradise, And oh, how I feel the pain. But don’t worry, they tell me, “Everything’s different now,” they explain. Yes, of course, the sun shines brighter, And rainbows dance on the breeze, But funny how this “new day” Still knocks me to my…
