Will Dabbs

In 1942, a Luftwaffe pilot named Armin Faber inadvertently and singlehandedly changed the calculus of the air war over Europe.

What is the secret sauce that makes a great soldier? Movies have spoiled us. We think it is Steve Rogers from Captain America. Our imaginary ideal has a chiseled physique, a square jaw, and a way with the ladies.

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