The Fire Pit

Nothing prepared me for the disconnection from Earth that distorted my perception of time while submerged. by David Chetlain, The War Horse I spent 18 months in training before reporting to my first submarine. I learned a lot about damage control, sonar, electronics, and how to distinguish a sperm whale …

We keep on driving, and I ask, “Where the fuck are we going?” With a smile and laugh Ali replies, “It’s just up here, buddy.” Being paranoid, I lock and load my M16. I figure worse comes to worse, I’ll smoke him and find my way back. by Greg Chabot …

By Greg Chabot In mid-2005 the name Juba struck fear into coalition troops in Baghdad. He had become a folk hero to the insurgency with his attacks on check points that were filmed and uploaded to the internet along with a graphic novel written about him. He would leave an …

by Heath Hansen It was 0530 hours the morning our first sergeant kicked open the door to our tent, and told us to “get the fuck outside and form it up!” Late the previous night, we returned to base from a 10-day mission in Afghanistan. I could see through a …

by Heath Hansen Robert Duvall, Academy Award winning actor, and film director, died yesterday in his Virginia home. His wife, Luciana Duvall, was with him in his final moments. Well known for his iconic roles in Godfather II and III, as well as Gods and Generals, perhaps, among military veterans, …

Afghan guards and Gurkhas ran to the fight. The bomb answered back. by Robert M. Kurtz It was April 2010, and I was on an assignment to evaluate the security measures and contracted security provider of a project compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Anyone who has ever been to Kandahar can …

by Cliff Wade Iraq, 2006 We found ourselves in the home of an Iraqi family during a massive clearing operation in an area characterized by terrain varying between urban landscape, farmland, palm groves, and small villages. We had been clearing routes of improvised explosive devices all morning. We had been …

“GRASS IT IF YOU HAVE TO GRASS IT! HIT THE GRASS!” by Mr. Wolf The desert night air hung heavy over Kuwait International Airport as I climbed into the jump seat of the ATR-72. The twin turboprops were already whining to life, their blades slicing through the cooler evening air …

by Greg Chabot I was attracted to organized crime; it holds a mystique. But there is a dark underside outsiders don’t see. I was working for the railroad, and was assigned to a job in Toronto. I had to stop and get a work visa at the border. Thankfully that …

by Babatim  I couldn’t take being out of the game anymore, so off I went to touch the elephant. I had just cracked open the first beer of the afternoon when I heard the rockets coming in. Wise now to the ways of war I stayed in my lawn chair …