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
- The Army Has a Memory Problem October 12, 2026Every few years, the Army discovers something it used to know. Trenches matter again. Camouflage matters again. Headquarters must move. Radios can be found. Supply lines can be attacked. Enemy aircraft do not need pilots. Large formations consume astonishing quantities of ammunition, fuel, spare parts, and people. The vocabulary changes, the technology improves, and the […]Charles Faint
- What Is Health? October 12, 2026Health is often defined differently depending on who you ask. Ask five professionals to define health, and you may receive five different answers. A doctor may describe it as the absence of disease or injury, focusing on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. A psychologist may define it through the lens of mental resilience, emotional stability, and […]Daniel Dodds
- The Bridge That Was Never Built October 12, 2026By Jonathan Rowe I came home from my second deployment to Iraq in 2008 with a wedding to plan. Vanessa and I were getting married that June. A week after I redeployed, I had a transient ischemic attack, a TIA. I spent two and a half weeks in the hospital. I made a full recovery, […]Special Guest
- Navigating the Fog: Bridging the Gap Between Warriors and Corporate America October 11, 2026“Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I can’t assimilate. Maybe I’m so broken that I can’t do anything else.” These aren’t just words; they’re a haunting echo that reverberates in the minds of many combat veterans as they transition into the civilian workforce. The unsettling truth is that most veterans won’t stay in their first job […]JC Glick
- Excellence Punished, Mediocrity Protected October 11, 2026The Uncomfortable Reality There’s a grim little truism that most people learn sooner or later: being liked at work is often more important than being good at your job. It’s one of those truths everyone nods at in private but rarely says out loud—especially in the military, where “performance” and “integrity” are supposed to be […]Dave Chamberlin
