The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture

• Uneasy Aeneas: Thoughts from a Dream June 10, 2026
  A few nights ago, a phrase came to me. Or more accurately, a pair of words: uneasy Aeneas. From time to time, things pop into my head when I’m about to fall asleep, or as I’m waking up: words, phrases, images, sometimes song lyrics or a bit of a tune. This isn’t unusual; I suspect […]
  Charles Faint
• The Subdued Flag Belongs on the ACU June 10, 2026
  By Staff Sgt. Taylor Ambos The views presented in this paper are those of the author and do not reflect the position of the Department of the Army or its components. Introduction Should a soldier’s uniform communicate different messages depending on location, or should it project a single, consistent identity regardless of where it is […]
  Special Guest
• I Like Music June 10, 2026
  I like music, all sorts of music. I like listening to it, not so much just hearing it in the background, but listening to it attentively. I’m a Luddite when it comes to technology, so I still play CDs and occasionally vinyl records. I have a CD player that flips through up to six different […]
  Frank Pauc
• Failure Got Promoted and You Got the Bill June 9, 2026
  Failure used to leave a bruise. Now it gets a staff retreat, a revised title, and a lanyard printed by people who think “impact” is a substitute for having one. That’s the great trick of our age. Institutions no longer have to succeed. They only have to survive the press cycle, rename the crater, and […]
  Tammy Pondsmith
• The Information Age Made Communication Worse June 9, 2026
  For decades, we were told that computers, email, and digital communications would create the paperless office. The promise was simple: information would move faster, organizations would become more efficient, and mountains of paperwork would become relics of a bygone era. There was only one problem. Human nature got involved. As someone who entered the military […]
  Dave Chamberlin