This post was written by Eddie Black, a former Marine and current National Guardsman. It was written to explain the military culture to new military spouses. Indoctrination We are a nation of many colors, religions, and ethnicities. Joining the military means giving up much of this and assuming a new identity. It takes a lot […]

The Sensitive Soldier: Can US troops be rewired to be impervious to trauma? In the wake of Fort Hood, Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum launched a groundbreaking program to eliminate PTSD. By Gail Sheehy / The Daily Beast “How am I going to get people to focus not on tragedy, but on resilience?” Brigadier General Rhonda […]

By Rod Nordland / New York Times “Yes, we are in charge now,” said an Iraqi Army soldier, Sgt. Salman Fallah Jassim, as he led a mixed Iraqi and American patrol through the saw grass of a dried up irrigation canal, sweeping the ground in front of him with the long wand of a metal detector. […]

Reunions are so wonderful. That feeling you get driving to pick up your significant other is nothing I have experienced before. You are elated, nervous and proud all at the same time. I literally get those butterflies in my stomach like I’m going on a first date with my husband. You exchange hugs and kisses, […]

By Thom Shanker / The New York Times The new American commander in Afghanistan has ordered a 60-day review of the entire military mission to identify better ways to separate the population from insurgents, an assessment that is expected to lead to new economic and military steps to carve fighters off from the Taliban. Over […]