The Havok Journal | Military & Veteran News, Commentary, Culture

I had a lot on my mind on 14 October, 2025 as I rode the Amtrack train from Washington, D.C. to New York City. I had been in our nation’s capital to speak at an event put on by the Ranger Legacy Foundation, and there was a lot to unpack from the experience.

To begin with, even thoug...

I’m tired and I should be asleep right now, but obviously, I’m not. I went to court yesterday and I’m still wound tight. I am replaying the events of the hearing in my head over and over, hoping for some clarity and closure. So far, I’ve had no luck with that. Maybe by writing about the episode, I can sort things out. It’s got to be better than lying in bed and staring at the...

By Dr. Wylie Brace and Samantha D. Glidewell

This article is the first installment in a three-part series adapted from qualitative research on veterans’ responses to the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The full manuscript, including methods, references, and broader clinical discussion, is available on OSF through a

There’s a new little trick in prestige television, and by “new” I mean recycled with the confidence of a toddler wearing lipstick on its forehead. It’s called “reimagining history,” which is Hollywood-speak for “we know what happened, we know what people looked like, we know the public can Google portraits in fourteen seconds, and we’re going to do whatever we want anyway bec...

In 2020, while serving as an assistant team leader on a DEA Special Response Team operation in Boston, I found myself standing behind a rifle-rated ballistic shield weighing roughly 50 pounds. Intelligence indicated the suspect was armed and dangerous. As our team made entry and began clearing the structure, the suspect suddenly reached toward a Glock pistol equipped with an ...