[January 3, 2025] The Islamic Republic of Iran, controlled by the IRGC and Islamic clerics, appears to be ready to collapse. Riots in the streets have been ongoing for over a week, the currency is in free fall, severe drought threatens a Zero Day, Western sanctions, high-level corruption, a pressure campaign by President Trump, and the dream of… Read More »
[December 22, 2025] To answer the question, why do we put up a Christmas tree, we might say that everyone does it. We know others who do it, our family and friends, and we see it in stores and on television. The tree is beautiful and part of a long-standing tradition. But, we might not really know… Read More »
[December 19, 2025] My friends and I had long conversations about Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein and his role in the Iran-Iraq War. The debate over whether he was an evil dictator or a grandfatherly figure protecting his country raged on and off, even after he used chemical weapons to attack Kurdish civilians in 1988. Known as the Halabja… Read More »
[December 15, 2025] I’ve been fortunate enough to visit some of the greatest art galleries in Europe and America, and I’m forever grateful for that opportunity. Yet, no matter how much I write about or see, I’m often amazed by the depth of meaning in the many works of art across the West. One recently making headlines is… Read More »
[December 7, 2025] One of my neighbors, a Navy Veteran, donated a Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper 1st Extra edition, dated December 7, 1941 to our local Veterans’ Club. What a great gift for our Vets. The headline reads in giant, bold letters, “WAR! OAHU BOMBED BY JAPANESE PLANES.” The newspaper, as described on EBay, an online site, is… Read More »
[December 6, 2025] Many years ago, when I had just finished high school, I knew a guy who was a big blabbermouth, a prankster, and someone not to be taken seriously. What he told me one day was that his life had turned around after graduation; he was on an upward trajectory in his life because he learned… Read More »
[December 2, 2025] It only seems like yesterday when I flew into Baghdad aboard a C130 Air Force cargo plane. I had a small team that was to act as the Advanced Party to the 353rd Engineer Group (Construction). In my first book “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” I laid out my thoughts on the Iraq War. Our… Read More »
[November 29, 2025] There should be no doubt that America is split along political lines or that Leftists of the Democrat Party have begun undermining a number of American institutions. The latest in what is an ongoing American cold civil war, is a billboard outside Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, NC. From The Fayetteville Observer (behind paywall): “Billboard in… Read More »
[November 28, 2025] My wife asked me yesterday, shortly after enjoying our Thanksgiving Dinner, why I was writing about the Iraq War, and pointedly asked, “Why are you focusing on this Pre-Surge?” She noted that nearly everyone was focused on the “fight,” or just the “surge.” And that is a good question, and one I’ve asked myself for… Read More »
[November 9, 2025] Leadership is certainly not easy, but no one who has taken such a position does so with the intent to do a bad job of it. Poor leadership – that can be described as being ineffective – is also not something that comes about due to a single error or bad decision but from a… Read More »