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

• The Roller Coaster Called “Healing” July 26, 2026
  By Kasey Franklin This title here is a hard lesson I’ve had to learn.  I never thought I would be the one. I never thought I would be the one contemplating suicide. It honestly and wholeheartedly never crossed my mind.  Until I had to climb the Mount Everest of trauma, grief, heartache, depression, anxiety, and […]
  Special Guest
• Explosions and Rude Awakenings in Ramadi July 26, 2026
  (Editor’s Note: The following is the first chapter from Jared’s book It’ll Buff Out.) Chapter 2: Rush OP Hawk Ramadi, Iraq September 29, 2006 An explosion ripped through Outpost (OP) Hawk, waking me up. Rude awakenings were a common occurrence in the Marine Corps. Starting in boot camp, we were woken up whenever the drill […]
  Jared Prewitt
• Dog and Pony Shows, Elephant Walks, and Other Air Force Circuses July 25, 2026
  What I’m about to say applies to any VIP including civilians, and some of it will be tongue-in-cheek, but please try to see the underlying concept without taking offense. Firstly, let me get a personal beef off my chest. In the year 2022, with all the talk of having good leadership principles, why are we […]
  Dave Chamberlin
• The Truth and “The Truth” July 25, 2026
  I project memory against the frames of reality. The sterile digital reality void of all the emotional and physical perceptions of the body. I watch, frame by frame. Over and over. I watch and wonder. I evaluate and ponder. I compare and contrast.  What went wrong? What went right? What happened? What could have happened? “Again?” the voices of the […]
  Jake Smith
• Emperor Norton and the Republic of Absurdity July 24, 2026
  In September of 1859, a man walked into the offices of the San Francisco Bulletin and declared himself “Norton I, Emperor of the United States.” Shortly afterward, he added “Protector of Mexico” to the title for good measure. By any rational standard, Joshua Abraham Norton should have been dismissed as a harmless lunatic, another eccentric […]
  Charles Faint