Civic Essays
What We Owe the Next Generation
There is a kind of conversation that has gone out of fashion in this country, and we are paying for its absence. It is the conversation older people used to [...]
The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture
- A Country That Hates Its Past Will Surrender Its Future July 17, 2026“I was ashamed of myself when I realized life was a costume party, and I attended with my real face.” The line is widely attributed to Franz Kafka, though scholars note it may be a paraphrase rather than a verifiable quotation from his published work. Whether Kafka said it exactly this way is almost beside […]Charles Faint
- God Only in Fear July 17, 2026The most devout heathen seems to find their deity in their moments of greatest tribulation. They preach the gospel of atheism with piousness when their bellies are full, and the world is in abundance. There is no God until they stare down mortality. There is only God in fear and suffering. They pray to the […]Jake Smith
- The Silent Crisis of Manhood July 17, 2026By Todd B. Kashdan & Chris Frueh Shortly after returning from a highly kinetic overseas combat deployment a few years ago, a U.S. military special operator (well known to one of us), with one of the nation’s most storied Tier One units, began working toward a master’s degree in counseling psychology at a prestigious northeastern […]Special Guest
- Material Girl, or How America Turned a Wink Into a Personality Disorder July 16, 2026Featured image note:Satirical editorial illustration for cultural commentary on consumerism and the “Material Girl” persona; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or spiritually financed by Madonna. More than forty years ago, Madonna released “Material Girl,” a glossy little pop grenade dressed up like a Marilyn Monroe fever dream, and America, bless its rhinestone-covered frontal lobe, heard […]Tammy Pondsmith
- Under the Uniform They Bleed the Same for Less July 16, 2026Why is it that in the United States Army, the gold standard of mid-career recognition—the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)—is so often pinned on the chests of officers simply for existing in their rank, while the backbone of the Army, its Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs), must claw their way to the same recognition, often only receiving it […]Daniel Dodds
