Kinder Horizon
Days come and go, Black and white, Smiles lost long ago, Taken by winter’s bite. Of love and war, Lies a dove, Wings that could not soar, Hopeful eyes look…
The First Casualty is Innocence
Blind rage; reliance on pure instinct. It had kept me alive through two tours in Iraq but could only be tragically misapplied here. As soon as I felt the…
Back In Formation
He doesn’t see them as human, he just puts a bullet in them, wipes the dust off his boot with the shirt of a fallen soldier, and moves behind a cement…
Deployed, Permanantly
“Hey Melany.” Jim’s voice was tight and rough over the phone. “Are you alone?” I looked at my friends around the room, chattering and laughing. “Um, no?”…
A Soldier and His Wife.
Death lies on her, like an untimely frost upon the sweetest flower in all the field. Under the grey clouds, a storm brews and I’ve finally let go of my shield…
War Escapees
“You have to squash the babies. Before they grow wings!” The towering soldier yelled at the steely-eyed girl. “What did these babies ever do to you?” The 12…
Self-Disciplined & In Control
He had the urge to hold her. To brush her tears off her cheeks. To run away with her. He didn’t do any of those things. He had cultivated enough control to…
And Still the Water Rose
He sat at the end of a pier, his legs dangling over the edge, the sea gently lapping against the soles of his worn out combat boots. He thought about how he…
So Many Battles
Dust and sweat, god, all I know is dust and sweat. Upon the rise outside the arena the captain of the Asclepian Guard tugs at the cloth armor about him…
Hospital Bed
She remembered firing the fifty cal. But that was all. She was in a hospital bed, a nice clean hospital bed.No gunfire in the background.No wailing.Just…
Another Glorious Day...
Karl Samuelson was not a happy man. Sand was everywhere. The constant buffetting of the wind in the night had caused the tent to split open, and what the sand…
Control Room and a Sad State of Affairs
Looking down at his chest, Anderson muttered a soft curse and moved towards the door. As he began to fumble with the controls, a genderless voice welcomed him…
Red Planet
Ominous impacts reverberated quietly throughout the shelter like far away thunder on far away earth. Red sand fell through holes in the ceiling as if the…
Shadows
A soldier’s shadow Feels no pain Sliding over jagged gravel-- Its black outline does not contain The fragile face from which it came The fragile face that’s in…
Hero in his own mind
“This is it, this is what I have been waiting for.” Bobby exhaled long and hard and stared down the bay doors that separated him from glory. His palms were…
Soldier
It’s strange when I look back at the war all these years after it ended. I joined the military just barely old enough, when it seemed like it was the right…
Fifty
Jake gripped his stomach tightly again as a fresh wave of pain rushed through his abdomen. He allowed himself another cautioned glance down to see the extent…
S. O. S.!! (save our stories)
Mikey kissed me under the slide at recess. S. O. S. (save our souls) The boy I’ve had a crush on since 7th grade asked me to the prom. S. O. S.!! (save our…
I am Going Home
I stare at the picture that I know so well. It shows the family I left behind to serve my country. My wife is holding my son with the smile that stops my…
No Superhero
I am no superhero. Just a common man. I came all the way over here not for you… not for me. They told me to. I didn’t exactly volunteer. They told me I could…