Weird things happen in war. Combat is chaotic, tragic, and horrible. It is arguably the most compelling of human experiences. As a result, it is a world where a man’s true character is revealed. 

American flyers came home after a certain number of missions to either sell war bonds or pass on their hard-earned secrets to the next generation. By contrast, the German experten (fighter pilots) typically flew until they died.

Our finest strategists earn advanced degrees in the prosecution of modern war, and our military-industrial complex drives technical innovation on an unrivaled scale. And yet at its heart, the true mission of the military is to simply rip the very life out of other human beings who would, in general, really sooner not be there.

Despite starring in several violent movies, Gregory Peck was a rabid gun control advocate. He championed an international moratorium on nuclear weapons as well. These lofty ideals are laudable on the surface, I suppose, but utterly unenforceable.

Think back to the last time you were alone and frightened. We live in such a remarkably insulated society that many modern Americans have never felt the uniquely synergistic fear that comes from both isolation and peril.

In the world of tactical shooting, you pick the right tool for the right target. There is some overlap, to be sure, but you wouldn’t choose a Walther P22 if you were trying to ring steel a kilometer distant.

From the very beginning, Chalino felt compelled to sing. However, throughout it all, his siblings would later claim that Chalino also had a deep-seated penchant for violence

Back in the 1930’s hunger was a real thing. In a land without jobs, those who could find work did fairly well. Those who could not simply withered.

I was born in 1966. I have lived under the threat of nuclear annihilation by the Russians ever since I first drew my breath. Like-minded buddies and I used to design subterranean fallout shelters in the margins of our notebooks in High School.