Like everyone, I’ve been broken. The things I’ve loved, or the lack thereof, has destroyed me. I became obsessed with those things. I’m ambitious, hungry to learn, and in those cases, determined to do whatever necessary to avoid that same pain. I had been broken by others before, but now, I was the one breaking […]
“Move your team, you have to get to the objective!” I shouted. “1-Actual this is 1-1 come in.” I screamed into the handset of my radio. “Send it for 1-Actual.” “We are pinned down, we need suppression on objectives 1 and 2 how copy?” I released the transmission button and took a few seconds to […]
The truth is painful. “You let her go,” said the monster. “I didn’t let her go!” Conor shouted, his voice cracking. “She fell!” “You must tell the truth or you will never leave this nightmare,” the monster said, looming dangerously over him now, its voice scarier than Conor had ever heard it. “You will be […]
The bottle of Corona clanged against the engraved stone. Once. I took a drink. Twice. I took a drink. Three times. I took a drink. Four times. I emptied the bottle. Four toasts. Four drinks. I had nothing left to give. Then, I broke. I sat slumped over the wall, my finger traced the carved […]
Police officers standing guard with rifles used to be a rare sight. There wasn’t an everyday need for level III or above body armor (aka the solid plates strong enough to withstand a rifle round). Mass shootings used to be an anomaly – now they are the norm. The idea of having a license to […]
Military leadership is failing at the lowest levels. For years, the only ones that suffered were the most junior service members. However, that sickness, the cancer that has so long plagued the staff non-commissioned officer and officer ranks has begun to have an effect on our military readiness as a whole. Just like Iraq, we […]
There is a generation of forgotten Marines. A generation comprised of World War II veterans and Marines like myself – reservists. It was November 27, 1950 and the Marines of Fox Company, Second Battalion, Seventh Regiment of the First Marine Division had descended on the Korean Peninsula under the command of Supreme Allied Commander, General […]
I watched as a silver sedan sped through the flashing red light. The driver either oblivious or careless about being required to stop. I put my patrol car in drive and off I went to stop the vehicle. I got behind the vehicle and flipped on my red and blue emergency lights. The driver immediately […]
I wrote this as a budding Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps Infantry. Coming out of the School of Infantry West, I was enthralled with the idea of being a “modern day Spartan.” The bond of service members and the dedication to duty by warriors across the globe is explained perfectly by Steven […]
On Monday, I will march with the SMU Police Honor Guard in the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Procession in Austin. We will March 2nd, behind the Dallas Police Department Honor Guard, a bitter reminder of the terrible week in July in which the Dallas area lost six law enforcement officers in 72 hours. This is […]
Jesse Carr 