What is a loser life, and who gets permission to judge one from another, the winners and losers? It starts by agreeing with the sharp people who define winners and losers. If it’s not a coach, a judge, or your mom, then a loser life is just an opinion, even if it comes from a […]
FATHER’S DAY INSPECTION
June 21, 2020 by
This is a Father’s Day inspection I’m glad I didn’t see as a kid. My dad is the guy with the sword. A sword?
AUTHORITY MAN: KNOW THEM WHEN YOU SEE THEM, HEAR THEM
April 9, 2020 by
Authority man comes in all different shapes and sizes, but the flavor never changes. Even when they favor you and I, empathy leaves a slightly bitter taste. We cheer when authority man rules our way, but forget that we’re one misstep from being ruled against. Then what happens?
ARMY MEDIC: JOB TWO OF FIVE
March 20, 2020 by
Army medic was the job I signed up for when I joined after freshman year in 1974. Army medic was my dad’s idea. The old Marine also advised against joining the Navy, but that’s expected. I went in on the Buddy Plan with a high school buddy. We lasted three days together in receiving, then […]
PREEMPTIVE CONVERSATION: SORRY, I WASN’T LISTENING
February 22, 2020 by
When is the best time for a Preemptive Conversation? Married men have different answers than singles, from both sides of the fence: Her side, and yer side.
FROM BOOT CAMP TO VETERANS DAY 2019
November 11, 2019 by
The greatest way to see what the rest of humanity looks like is by joining the army and going through boot camp. From the mild mannered kid who turned into Sergeant Rock with his provisional rank, the college grad who joined to become an air traffic controller, they all had dreams. First they had to […]
LEARNING LEADERSHIP: WHERE TO START AND END
October 4, 2019 by
The idea of learning leadership begins the first time you do what you are told to do. Usually it starts with a mom or a dad. If not them, maybe a teacher or coach. If it happens to be some jackass in the neighborhood a few years older, then it’s going to be a defective […]
ARMY BRAND DD214 WON’T WASH OFF
March 21, 2019 by
Not sure when it begins, but a lot of men feel remorse about not having an Honorable Discharge and a DD214. What did they miss? Listen to guys in their late 30’s and early 40’s reflect on the sort of soldier they would have been, or their opinion on what makes a good […]
MANPLAINING MAN CODE FOR NON-MAN CODE TALKERS
February 28, 2019 by
Man code isn’t the same as secret encryption, but they share a common aim: communication by means other than normal language. A secret encryption message gets deciphered, then delivered; a man code message gets interpreted and acted on. For example:
ENOUGH LEADERSHIP? WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?
January 10, 2019 by
Talk to any reliable construction contractor about when enough is enough and they say two things: It’s enough when you run out of money to do more. And it’s enough when you run out of time and need to wrap things up. Ask any self respecting parent how they decide when enough is […]
