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

• Moral Injury in Law Enforcement and the Cost of Broken Trust October 13, 2026
  I have watched officers celebrate an arrest while I was still thinking about how easily someone could have been killed. I have also stood outside a house where a mother and her daughter were barricaded in a bedroom after a request for SWAT had been denied. In both cases, taking the suspect into custody left […]
  Sergeant Ayman Kafel, MSC
• The Fourth Estate Has Elected Itself Minority Whip October 13, 2026
  Somewhere in Washington, a cable-news producer has connected a breaking-news siren to Donald Trump’s vocal cords. He clears his throat, the screen turns red, and six political analysts convene to determine whether presidential mucus constitutes an assault on democracy. Meanwhile, nobody bothers explaining what the executive order actually says. Welcome to American journalism, where the […]
  Tammy Pondsmith
• The State Is Too Eager to Kill October 13, 2026
  Two recent news stories about executions have made me think. One is about Christa Pike, and the other is about Nidal Hasan. Both individuals are convicted murderers who committed heinous crimes. Their stories reminded me of a quote from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien (George Allen & Unwin). The wizard Gandalf said […]
  Frank Pauc
• The Army Has a Memory Problem October 12, 2026
  Every 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, 2026
  Health 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