Taken from the Air National Guard Yellow Ribbon webpage: “The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 established the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) to assist National Guard and Reserve members as they transition between their military and civilian roles. By providing deployment cycle information, resources, and programs, YRRP addresses the unique challenges facing the Guard…

Commentary Editor’s Note: February of 2023 marked the 20th anniversary of then-Secretary of State Colin Powell’s now-infamous speech to the United Nations, which is seen as a decisive point in the U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003.  In this jointly-written article, The Havok Journal’s owner, Charlie Faint, and editor-in-chief, Mike Warnock,…

Commentary In January 2003 we were deployed to Incirlik AB Turkey in support of Operation Northern Watch. Most of us had a pretty good inkling that Saddam Hussein was getting tired of the 12 years of the Northern and Southern No-Fly Zones established in the airspace over Iraq, and that things were going to turn…

Commentary I’ve read accounts where amputees will feel sensations where their missing limbs used to be. One of the phrases describing it is “phantom pain.” The Amputation Coalition describes it this way: “Phantom limb pain (PLP) refers to ongoing painful sensations that seem to be coming from the part of the limb that is no…

Commentary My squad drives along MSR (main supply route) Dover, en-route to Camp Anaconda. I stand in the gunner’s position, wearing my face mask and goggles. Dust hit my face as sweat from the desert heat trickled down my face and back. I wore a 50-pound IBA (individual body armor) with extra ammo, my M-16…

Commentary There were lots of things that were difficult about my 38 years in the military. For me personally, most of those centered around not being able to play politics, people who didn’t want to do their jobs, inane regulations, and toxic leadership. I should correct one thing, I refused to play politics. Every time…