When the basement is full of decapitated heads Of Ba’ath Party political opponents, That’s when you give up. What could be more horrific Than wizened fleshy skulls lined up like supermarket eggs. A dozen heads in a row. That’s when you denounce your faith, renounce your God, Declare to hell with it all, And give… Read More
The sky is inviting when it is green. I once counted twelve shooting stars in a five-minute span while kneeling on an Afghan plateau waiting on a helicopter. To see when others can’t. With the flick of my head and the power of a AA battery, I became Superman. I could watch through a green… Read More
Transitioning back from combat is different for everybody. Stories about veterans having trouble adjusting abound. My transition was pretty easy, I think. This is due in part because I never experienced much first-hand trauma while I was over there. Sure, I got some almost hair-raising stories from Afghanistan. Here’s an example. I was soundly… Read More
What if the windshield of war and peace were a glass eye: blue, green, brown, laser red, no matter, invisible flamboyant mirages becoming more vivid microscopicesque across the pagelessness, atop conflict ash not sprawling on un-airconditioned anti-social constructions or retro-futuristically fitted, and refitted for a carbon fiber marathon adventure run through vast crematoriums inside… Read More
The Stars and Stripes is free. I grab one to read while I eat my eggs. They’re okay but the bacon’s not quite right. A girl’s face filled with glee. The photo on this page is black and white. Her mom says this is a party for her. She is about to see…. Read More
BAYONET X-RAY, BAYONET, X-RAY, THIS IS ACHILLES 22, OVER GO AHEAD, OVER DAILY REPORT FOLLOWS, OVER SEND IT, OVER LINE 1, RED LINE 3, RED LINE 5, RED LINE 6, BLACK LINE 9 BLACK, OVER ROGER, GOOD COPY, CHARLIE MIKE, OVER CHARLIE MIKE, OUT RESTREPO 16, RESTREPO 16, THIS IS ACHILLES 22, OVER RESTREPO… Read More
