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

• The Worst Fear Was Failing Them September 20, 2026
  By Jake Walsh This first appeared in the author’s personal blog, Veteran Mettle, and is republished here with permission. _________________ I was a medic in the 5/20th Infantry Battalion, serving with Bravo Company in a Stryker brigade. I spent my entire time on the line, most of it inside the Stryker—either driving or sometimes acting […]
  Special Guest
• Northbound Into the Dark September 20, 2026
  Nearly twenty years ago to the day, I boarded a commercial airplane with a machine gun slung on my back, along with 150 of my closest friends. Tray tables were stowed, seats placed upright, belts fastened, and weapons stored under the seat in front of us—normal protocol for air travel, right? The flight was approximately […]
  Stan Lake
• The Lyrics that Define September 19, 2026
  I wanted to live the life of The Rooster. To find a bond as deep In Color. To live the reality of Sgt. MacKenzie’s March. To be Johnny Boy’s Bones, because I knew I was never going to be the Fortunate Son. The world provided the paradox. To have an answer when others asked, “Where Were You […]
  Jake Smith
• Who Will Hold Me When I Die September 19, 2026
  Yesterday morning I dropped off my grandson, Asher, at the Waldorf school. It made no sense to drive all the way back home since I needed to pick him up in four hours, so I wandered around the east side of Milwaukee. I decided to walk from Brady Street south on Van Buren to the […]
  Frank Pauc
• Distributed Engineering Spreads AI Code Security Risks September 18, 2026
  Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Artificial intelligence is moving fast, and software teams are moving even faster. Code is now written, reviewed, tested, and deployed across cities, countries, and time zones. On the surface, that sounds like progress. And in many ways, it is. Distributed engineering gives companies access to global talent, around-the-clock productivity, […]
  Diane Taylor