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

• So Many Leaders Inspired Me… to Be Nothing Like Them. August 28, 2026
  Leadership books are filled with stories of great men and women whose example is worth following. Military history is populated by names that have become shorthand for courage, innovation, and selfless service. We study Eisenhower’s coalition-building, Marshall’s integrity, Ridgway’s battlefield leadership, and Nimitz’s calm under pressure because excellence leaves clues. Over the course of my […]
  Charles Faint
• When Combat Changes What Feels Real August 28, 2026
  Combat veterans are often described as having difficulty returning to the “real world.” The phrase is revealing because it assumes civilian life represents reality and combat represents an interruption, a temporary departure from normal existence. Under this assumption, the veteran’s task is to leave the war behind, readjust to ordinary priorities, and become psychologically capable […]
  Kerry Patton
• The Seal Was Worth the Money August 28, 2026
  Traveling on a long road trip with a restless 5-year-old is an endurance test. Our grandson, Asher, is a good kid and we love him dearly, but he can be relentless when he wants something, and he often wants something. On our journey from Wisconsin to Texas and back, Karin and I had to make […]
  Frank Pauc
• New Orleans Hotel Bed Bug Claims: Proving the Property Knew August 28, 2026
  Anyone who has moved through enough transient lodging deployments, TDY, PCS moves, contract work, or a long stretch of hotels around a reunion weekend in New Orleans eventually encounters this. The city runs on hospitality, hosts enormous rotating crowds, and has an aging building stock in the neighborhoods people most want to stay in. That […]
  Avery Devereaux
• Sometimes You Need the Damn Box August 27, 2026
  Some jobs require people to put emotion aside long enough to perform. Resilience also means knowing when to pick it back up. There are jobs where the normal human reaction and the necessary professional reaction cannot happen at the same time. A medic can be horrified by what is in front of him and still […]
  Tammy Pondsmith