Category: Military

How an Adirondack Outlaw survived U.S. Army Ranger School      Whether it was TV series like “Hogan’s Heroes”, movies like the “The Dirty Dozen”, “The Great Escape”, or the comic book heroes I worshipped, my die was cast at an early age.  From matching wits with the local ECOs,...

     ********** I remember, as a young boy, attending various north country elementary schools; Stanfordville, Duanesburg, Northville, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, where we were taught one universal lesson. We ran drills. The announcement came from the principal, over the loudspeaker:       “When the alarm siren sounds, immediately hide under...

An Inauguration Day Countdown Retrospective In Haiku ********** Author’s Note It has been a gut wrenching time in American History. What happened on January 6th was a jarring real time illustration of all of the divisive chaos that hate, racism, and deceit engender. While all of America watched in...

A Salute to the Service and Sacrifice of Those Who Have Fallen Twenty-One Guns! The Captain Rallied His Men Twenty-One Guns! Bloody Battle Began ********** Twenty-One Guns! The Line Echoed The Call Twenty-One Guns! Musket, Powder and Ball ********** Twenty-One Guns! Held The Line Against Cavalry Cannons Twenty-One Guns!...

This is another of my early fiction pieces, penned in the early ’90’s, shortly after I left the service. At a time when I thought I wanted to write for a living. Robin & I were living in an apartment on South Massey Street in Watertown, when we were...

1-22 INF/1st BDE/10th MTN DIV (LI), Ft Drum, N.Y. 1988: Fort Drum was still under construction. The 10th Mountain Division(LI) remained a long way from full strength.  My unit, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, was billeted in old wooden WWII barracks on what would become “Old Post.”       We were...

     The event that I’m about to describe has haunted a dark corner of my mind since the night it occurred. Some may find it disturbing. I still do. **********   It was a Saturday evening in 1986.  I was a young lieutenant recently assigned to the 10th Mountain...

     Comic book war heroes. As kids, growing up in the ’70’s, my brother Ray & I loved ’em.  The Haunted Tank, Unknown Soldier, Weird War Tales- & my personal favorite -SGT ROCK.      “ROCK” was “Easy Company” Platoon Sergeant, “Top Kick” in a long series of WWII comic...

When I was a young officer in the 10th Mountain Division’s 1-22 Infantry Battalion, one of my most memorable experiences was standing in battalion formation, 550 battle ready men strong. Led by our Battalion Command Sergeant Major, echoing his words in single voice unison, line by line we belted...