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

• Nothing Good Has Ever Changed the World September 21, 2026
  “Nothing good has ever changed the world.” At first glance, the statement sounds absurd. Humanity’s greatest achievements—democracy, antibiotics, aviation, the internet, representative government, and countless scientific discoveries—would seem to prove the opposite. Surely these are “good” things that changed the world. But that is not what the phrase means. The point is that good conditions […]
  Charles Faint
• When Hope Holds Its Breath September 21, 2026
  After all the years of disappointment, I cannot help but feel almost emotionless. The idea of being a father—of loving and raising children as I never was—has resided in me since adolescence. I wanted to undo all the mistakes of my parents, to prove to the world that it does not have to be that […]
  Jake Smith
• Five Seconds on a Bridge September 21, 2026
  There is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee. It connects Brady Street to Veteran’s Park on Lake Michigan. Two days ago, after dropping off my grandson at school, I walked to the bridge. On it, I saw three young people hanging a Palestinian flag over the railing for the oncoming […]
  Frank Pauc
• 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