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

• Afghanistan and the Sound of Silence September 18, 2026
  For many, silence is peace, and the sound of breaking waves off the coast of Carmel California is the most relaxing sound. It brings the inner peace that we all vie for, an escape from the turbulent world we live in. An inner utopia triggered by sounds of peace and harmony. Once more we find […]
  Clay D
• The Claims Shark Wears a Flag Pin September 17, 2026
  America loves thanking veterans right up until a veteran asks America to do something more complicated than stand for the anthem. We’ll clap at airports. We’ll put flags on everything from pickup trucks to potato-chip bags. We’ll offer ten percent off a chicken sandwich every November. But tell the government that twenty years of carrying […]
  Tammy Pondsmith
• What I Owe the Child I Never Had September 17, 2026
  To my son, had you been born, I wonder if you’d have looked like me. I wanted to write you—perhaps to apologize and explain why you don’t exist outside my mind. I decided a long time ago that fatherhood likely wouldn’t suit me. I carry too many bad genes, and truthfully, I didn’t want to […]
  Stan Lake
• Burdens and Blessings September 17, 2026
  I had a phone conversation with Matt recently. He was in my son’s squad in the Mountain Phase of Ranger school. He shared with me his story about that fateful day on Mt. Yonah when my son, George L Taber V (Quint), and Evan Fitzgibbon lost their lives. Their squad was one of the first […]
  Tab Taber
• Beware of All Enterprises That Require New Clothes… Or Uniforms September 16, 2026
  Before Walden became a staple of American literature, Henry David Thoreau offered a simple warning that has aged remarkably well: “I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.” At first glance, it sounds like advice from someone who disliked shopping. But Thoreau wasn’t criticizing clothing. […]
  Charles Faint