Civic Essays
What We Owe the Next Generation
There is a kind of conversation that has gone out of fashion in this country, and we are paying for its absence. It is the conversation older people used to [...]
The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture
- When Identity Becomes the Boundary August 25, 2026I recently had a conversation with a friend. We were talking about the word “we.” It seems like an innocent word, something we use constantly in everyday life when referring to family, religion, politics, nationality, profession, military service, law enforcement, culture, and almost every community to which we belong. We say, “We believe.” We say, […]Sergeant Ayman Kafel, MSC
- The Pentagon Counts the Rounds. The VA Counts the Damage. August 25, 2026America is finally tracking blast exposure. It still has to own what that exposure costs after the uniform comes off. There is a phrase in military life that has caused more trouble than it should. “It should be in the system.” Orders should be in the system. Medical referrals should be in the system. Travel […]Tammy Pondsmith
- Preserving Humanity August 25, 2026We are the culmination of our experiences. The mind and body think and react based upon past experiences, creating anticipated outcomes. Shared experiences and beliefs create cultures, and cultures create predictability. The shared beliefs shape the shared reactions and outcomes of lived experience. The cultures found among law enforcement and the military are brash, dark, […]Jake Smith
- Fanny Kelly: The Frontier’s Forgotten Female Survivor August 24, 2026History remembers spectacular battles. It remembers famous generals, decisive campaigns, and treaties that redrew maps. Far less often does it remember the ordinary people who happened to find themselves caught between those events. Their stories rarely shape strategy or alter the course of nations, yet they often reveal more about the human cost of conflict […]Charles Faint
- CompStat Is Not the Problem August 24, 2026CompStat was created to make police departments more informed, responsive, and accountable. It gave command staff access to timely crime information, placed responsibility closer to the commanders overseeing affected areas, and created a process for examining whether police strategies were actually working. Those are worthy goals. Police departments should study their data. Leaders should understand […]Sergeant Ayman Kafel, MSC
