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
- Dismissed with Prejudice August 22, 2026It has taken almost two weeks for me to find these words. Words that should have taken me only minutes to find. The outcome was as expected, “Charges dismissed…” but what followed was the unexpected icing “… with prejudice.” Just like that, it was finally over. Years of wasted time as we faced charges that should have never been […]Jake Smith
- Stop Blaming PTSD, Fix the System August 22, 2026By Cindy McClister, CEO & Founder, Reboot Hope, Inc. When I first read Shane Jernigan’s article “PTSD Isn’t Killing Us…The System Is,” I felt a deep, familiar ache in my chest. His words were not just commentary—they were a mirror, reflecting the reality I have witnessed for years working alongside service members, veterans, and those […]Special Guest
- Pulvis et Umbra Sumus: “We Are Dust and Shadow” August 21, 2026There’s a quiet brutality in the Latin phrase pulvis et umbra sumus—we are dust and shadow. It’s not motivational. It doesn’t belong on a recruiting poster or etched above a gym door. It doesn’t promise glory or legacy or meaning. It simply reminds us of the uncomfortable truth: whatever we build, whatever we fight for, […]Charles Faint
- Islamophobia: What If the Fear Isn’t Irrational? August 21, 2026By an Anonymous Veteran I have been thinking lately about the word Islamophobia. It is a powerful word, and nobody particularly wants it attached to them. In modern American conversation, the accusation can sometimes end a discussion almost immediately. Question some aspect of Islam, criticize a practice associated with Islamic law, or express concern about […]Special Guest
- Why You Want a Physicist to Speak at Your Funeral August 21, 2026Author’s Note: the following was written by Aaron Freeman (1956-), an American physicist, writer, broadcast journalist, and standup comedian, noted for his Jun 2005 NPR talk “Eulogy from a Physicist” and follow-up May 2005 essay “My Inner Particle” both of which are ruminations of a “physicist mindset” in respect to what happens to a person […]Michael Bama Katt
