History, and Other Points of Interest
Effective training rarely needs high-end technology and impressive graphics to truly be effective. In some cases, the basic ingredients require a checklist, a dry-erase board, an engaged audience, and a demented imagination. “Bad Soup Scenario” Day VFR flight / ILS approach into Columbus 1648L, WX – overcast w/ 1000’ ceilings, 92̊ F, wind 030@30 …
Continue reading "Kobiyashi Maru – Army Style… or… Scenario-Based Training"
Posted 28Jun2017. I’m starting to note a potentially worrisome trend in answering more questions about BSG than other topics of relevance and interest… however… Realism of Battlestar Galactica (the recent one) regarding: “Power relationships” There are times when BSG gets it right - the hierarchy/chain of military command Adama acknowledged when faced with Admiral Cain’s ruthless, …
Posted 30 May 2017. “Sir, I would follow you down the barrel of a loaded cannon.” I have given this compliment to many officers, and as one of the grizzled NCOs they implicitly trusted, they understood that not only had I meant it, but I would do it. “Mike, how do I set myself up …
Continue reading "From an enlisted point of view, what separates a good officer from a bad officer?"
"Do you ever regret entering your field of work?" On February 29, 2016, I retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years as a 67T/15T, a military occupational specialty (MOS) officially known as a “Utility Helicopter Repairer.” During that time, I logged a total of 3904.9 flight hours – 1230.2 of which were combat hours. …
Most of my ideas and inspirations occur when I am driving my truck. Apart from negotiating and the occasional profanity at the growing trend of distracted drivers (we have smart bombs and smart phones, but combining the latter with vehicles makes for more destructive power than any GPS-guided munition), I am usually rocking out to …
Inspiration comes from the strangest sources. A while ago, my wife and I stopped in a random Waffle House and due to the early Sunday afternoon post-church rush, they were slammed, and the only seats available were at the counter. There, we had front row seats to the eleven-person shift calling out, cooking, and picking …
Continue reading "Waffle House, Leadership, and Lucien Truscott"
“We are trying to solve tomorrow's crime with last weeks' laws.” I wrote this in the wee hours of the morning on the small notepad beside my computer. I had several tabs open from the Associated Press and other sites from my attempt to make sense of the chaos that has become the routine headlines, …
Continue reading "Opinion: Violence, Legislation, and the Person in the Mirror"
