A Letter to Humanity

            This is less of an essay, but is more of a conversation about overcoming the war within. No matter who you are, you understand what I am talking about. No matter where you come from, you can recall a time when you had to reach down deep and push through a conflict in your life, discovering a strength within yourself you never knew you had. No matter who you are, you can relate to the tales of Hercules, the struggles of Odysseus, the trials of Perseus, and perhaps even the toils of the mighty Colossus of Rhodes himself. Whenever there is chaos, we as survivors have found hope. In times when all seemed forsaken, we found light among the darkness and chose to liberate others instead of simply liberating ourselves. By expanding the light of our lives to the world, we gave others permission to mount chariots across the skies, bringing the light of hope to many more. As a diamond in the rough, we stand erect, choosing not to be kept erect by others, allowing brothers and sisters to do the same. I am blessed to be part of such a select few, and if you are part of such a select few, you should feel the same. One must realize that, in order to find out the secret to what makes one great, they must endure the power of struggle’s cold embrace.

                For those of you who do not know me, I am a wounded veteran of the United States Army. I suffered a terminal brain injury, as well as thirty-nine broken bones from a motorized vehicle accident on a training mission almost eight months prior to penning this current essay. Most of the doctors didn’t believe I would ever walk again, would ever be able to live a somewhat normal life or even have a somewhat functional brain after words. I never really knew what pain truly felt like until I was trying to learn how to walk again, my body brace digging into my broken ribs and shoulder, the neck brace supporting the burst fracture which took half an inch from my height. I couldn’t imagine living life trapped in a situation like that for the remainder of my days, so thus I took to writing as my escape. Today, I walk with a limp, my vertebrae healed, a crescent moon scar on the left of my head. I’ve been told I may never have the ability to run anymore, my memory much like that of an Alzheimer’s patient. Should I ever have the pleasure of meeting you for the second time and don’t recall you from the first, please don’t be offended; odds are, I cannot remember what I had for breakfast that morning.

                I’ve been told often that I should be grateful for all that the Army has done for me, for the medical insurance, for still being alive. Truly, I am grateful for all three of these things, as they have been a great blessing to me in an hour of need. However, what those who make these comments don’t realize is this: no matter what the Army does to help me right now, it will not undo the damage caused by sheer callous negligence from one individual. In addition, I would like to point out that, as much as I would like to say that I am being treated for my pain, the medications prescribed to treat my pain isn’t helping. The only thing that truly got the edge off was Percocet, just 5mg or so, enough to put me to sleep or get the pain down to a tolerable level. Then again, due to the “Opioid Epidemic” (which, in my opinion, is being blown way out of proportion), most doctors won’t give out Opioids to someone with a missing limb, much less someone with forty-five major injuries sustained eight months ago. Instead, lets give them half a dozen meds that don’t work! I know that these doctors are looking out for their best interests, I get that. I suppose that it would be nice if someone would just come out and say that instead of telling me about how I will become addicted to 5mg of Percocet and start a downward spiral to becoming a junkie.

                I suppose that, if this trial has taught me anything, it is this: it’s truly amazing how little help we are given when we truly need it.

On Weakness

                Sometimes, the greatest obstacle in our lives, is ourselves. When one makes the attempt towards affluence, the attempt towards greatness, their struggle is not against those who they see as their enemy, but it is against those who is staring back at them through the glass. When one is trying to make themselves king for the day, and the world is seeming to fight against you, it is usually the one who is in the reflection who is in the struggle that is engaging against you. When you are feeling all is forsaken, it is the one who is looking at you through the glass that is all to blame. It is the inner struggle, not the outer that must be tamed. With such an obstacle to overcome, one must wonder what must be done to fight against the struggle against the self. Instead of fighting against others, one must engage against their own fallacy and embrace their own weaknesses in order to achieve transcendence. Once we understand the fallacies within us and what is necessary to overcome them, we will find what is necessary to transform within us the diamond within the rough, that mighty paragon which we know is within. The human condition has the capacity to perform amazing things, create astounding inventions and perform astounding accomplishments and it is ignorant of us to think that we cannot accomplish such actions ourselves. In truth, by only bringing our foresight to fruition, we may be able to find out what our destiny may be.

On Creating Yourself

                What does it mean to truly keep one’s virtues intact? Does one perform this arduous task by adhering to the mores of society, ensuring that their every movement is in line with the world? Does one increase their devotion to their religion, their cause, their beliefs? Or does one simply absorb the virtues of those which they herald? If a man does not have a clear set of principles which govern their actions in life, then their ideas will be controlled by another, be that a government, religion or cause. Instead of man controlling his ideals, he is destined for another to perform this task for him. Men must change this concept for life or he will be the slave of another who has dedicated the time and energy to manipulate others, bending others to their will and to serve his interests. Men must strive to be the shepherd and not the sheep of the world, both serving his group and having his flock provide for the shepherd directly. There is so much servitude within this world and not enough individual ideology, creating a true pandemic in the modern era. Without individual thought, an individual’s collection of virtues established by the man himself, then he will forever serve the tyrants which he has crowned within his own mind, forever in service of another and forever place his own subconscious in doubt.

                What then can be done about this treacherous abandonment of the self? The answer is quite simple: create your own virtues which control your life, answer to them and not to others. If you are a faithful man, do only what your own beliefs will allow. In exemplum, you don’t commit adultery because it is immoral to you, though it is not illegal. You don’t lie even though the legal system says you cannot be charged for it, but because your faith won’t allow it. Create your own Cardinal Virtue which will mold your own Code of Ethics, transforming you into the man you desire to be. By establishing for yourself the way to live life, you are liberated from others who would desire to control your every move, freeing your subconscious from a slave aspect and leading to being a Master of your life.

                The writer would caution the reader when it concerns how they liberate themselves. Doing so does not excuse you from the laws of the world, but rather releases your mind from the concept of being told what to do, what to think and what to feel. In this manner, the future master of the self must search for the principles to create their Code of Conduct by finding mentors, studying their beliefs through the beliefs of wiser men and to establish oneself by attributing their mentor's codes into their life.

                Remember that life is not about finding yourself, but rather about creating yourself.

On Thought and Character

Man is literally what he thinks. Whatever forms itself into his mind, a man becomes that notion for life. Whatever a man feels in his bones will determine what he desires to accomplish in his life. Whatever a man subjects his mind to, that is what will determine what he will be. If he believes in himself, he will not be subjected to the mores of those which surround him. Where there is despair, he will find hope when he solidifies in his mind to focus on what will bring himself out of the darkness. Instead of being a prisoner in his life, a man who believes in himself and erects an image in his mind for what he ought to be will find success. He is the keystone in his own life, making his thoughts the most relevant voice of reason, subjecting himself to his own will. How glorious would it be if all thought in this manner? How many lives could be changed if only one’s thought concerning life would be rearranged?

Throughout the ages, men tend to blame others for their discursions, refusing to admit that they are responsible for their own actions. What these men do not understand is this: man creates the weapons which will destroy himself. When a man believes he is weak, he has spoken his fate into existence, causing his life to be full of trials in which will cause him despair. When a student believes they are horrible at a subject, their attitude will shift towards a path which shall lead them to the point where they will be in constant struggle with themselves. When a father believes he is a failure, he will be seen as such by his family, potentially leading his own outlook on life to become skewed. There have been whole books written upon how someone may alter what they are now, break the chains of their bad habits for a better life. The truth is quite simple. Man is the lord of his own thoughts; he has the power to make himself what he wills. Essentially, decide what you truly wish to be, carve out a blueprint towards that life, and act so that you can will that your maxim for life will be a universal law.

Discovering one’s self is determined trough application, self-analysis and experience. Once a man has determined what he wills to become, he must be vigilant in his approach towards a better life. A man must also understand that the code of manliness is not a trait which may be achieved and kept forever without holding one’s self accountable. Manliness is like a world title which must be defended. It must be looked upon as something which must be molded, which must be sculpted and when it is only beautiful for a moment. The tides of life will whither away the fine edges, the face shall become disfigured and the sculpture of this man will eventually fall away. Man cannot win such a battle, which is why it is urgent that he alters his mind and force himself to be remembered as a man with whom he would be proud to know. Every man may accomplish this, if he is diligent enough.

Finally, in order to connect the mind with the body and force it to bend to your will, man must be ready to act upon his thoughts. Action is the blossom of thought, allowing the body to surrender to the will of the subconscious, allowing the man to mold himself into who he believes he ought to be. This will lead him to what he will become and what he will be remembered by.

A man is literally what he thinks, growing through right thought, right action and the ability to understand himself.

On Nostalgia

            Human beings need something to aspire to. We recollect the goodness of the past and the lessons we have learned from it. We recollect the power of what the past holds for our future. We recollect the wonder and splendor of what has been and hope for what could be. However, instead of creating the same experience in the present, we sometimes allow those feelings of powerful goodness to remain where they are. Instead of taking that which we have learned to the rest of the world, we keep the love to ourselves. Instead of being motivated to utilize the lessons which we have learned from our forefathers, sometimes we are depressed in the thought that we as human beings cannot give the same feeling to others. It is as if we are an insufficient buoy compared to the paragons of our mind, always changing and always being lower than the nostalgic memory of our past. This is a concept which cannot ever be the truth. In reality, since we are still living, our success in transcribing this feeling towards others is more than a possibility; it is our obligation towards mankind.

Revival of the Tribal Mindset

                Groupthink isn’t a new concept in this world. The idea of Tribalism is arguably as old as mankind itself and is the reason for which man has become the top species on Earth. The idea of Tribalism has been the root to men bettering themselves in action, words, and deeds by instilling honor into their lives by adhering to the code of the group. The idea of Tribalism is what naturally occurs when like-minded individuals unite to become better members of society, better members of their community and better men in general. When there is a weakness, a group makes an attempt to build upon those impairments to raise up their weakest link. If there is uncertainty, the unified minds of the Tribe will work together to bring resolution and clarity. When there is dishonor among the ranks, the Tribe will ensure that shame is felt by the oppressor until they recompense for the crime; the crimes may not be against what the world has deemed law, but it is an offense against the core beliefs of the group. This concept was the glue which bonded social dynamics for thousands of years but was lost in the civil class of society, phasing out as mankind itself became more civil. The death of Tribalism definitively destroyed the entire concept of manliness, leaving frail and empty vessels to take their place. If there is no resurgence of Tribalism in this world, then it is destined for the virtues of manhood to continue to unfurl.

                Men have provided one another with protection since Neanderthals first explored the Earth, providing comfort and peace of mind for all those within the group. Such a quality was necessary in the early days of human existence, for the world seemed to desire nothing more than to extinguish the life from the individual. As the centuries began to pass and societies began to develop, men created their own brotherhoods to build upon the tactical virtues which kept their ancestors alive, protecting us from them. By such a philosophy, men created civilizations whose achievements are echoed into the world today. By the brotherhood of the philosophers of Greece, the concept of Democracy was established. By the brotherhood of Rome, the world reached a technological height in both Engineering and Warfare unlike any the world had ever known. By the wisdom of the brotherhood of the colonies, the Second Continental Congress established the United States of America. Throughout the years, humanity has benefited by men who have unified under one banner to solidify their legacy and build up a place in history that is all their own.

                No matter how wise men are in their social group, no action can be achieved without a significant amount of strength behind their actions. In primitive times, man required physical strength to conquer the elements and to kill animals for food. In later years, a man required strength to maintain his crops and his household. In the halls of the political and philosophical world, a man required educational and mental strength in order to navigate the rules and strategies of shadow warfare. In the modern age, man has descended from his once high pillar of strength into the pits of mediocrity, both mentally and physically. His brain once wafts with intellectualism has now become an empty cavern, his body encased in layers of fat, his heart vacant of passion. The men of old would be ashamed to know that their descendants, those who they have chiseled out a place in the world for them, have become complacent in their ways, have become complacent in their thoughts and have become complacent in their search for a meaning greater than themselves. Without having others to keep them accountable, men have allowed the world to shape them, not the other way around. Man must have to mean for what he does, or he will doom himself, he will doom his family and he will doom all those who look upon him with admiration.

                When a man searches his soul for meaning, he will never find what he is looking for without counselors to hold the mirror in front of him and reveal what he truly is on the outside. By doing so, man is liberated from his fallacy of who he is and begins to transform into what he could be. This man, along with his tribe, will begin to work on his flaws, enhance his strengths, build a bond deeper than blood and will force all those within their group to be better because of the standard required to be a part of the tribe. If he succeeds, he will be praised for the work of his hands, moving him from the realm of idleness and into the heights of self-transcendence, liberating himself and allowing others to be liberated by the fire burning within him. By working with a group of men who united under one banner, he does not have to rely solely on his own judgment. Rather, he has at his disposal the will, the discipline and the insight of all those which he surrounds himself with.

                Some men believe that they can reach their ideal of what a man can be and they can stop their advancement of the self. Some believe that one he meets some sort of standard, either set by himself or by another, then he is the epitome of what a man must be and needs not continue with the process of self-advancement. Some even believe that they will be automatically better and greater than all other men which have not achieved these milestones. This cannot be further from the truth, for he has not learned the greatest test of manliness: he must strive to build upon himself, always! He who is the ideal man understands that becoming a paragon of manhood requires a life-long dedication, life-long devotion and life-long discipline in order to become who he desires to be. He will strive for excellence, and will not be deluded into believing that he has achieved it.

                In the end, man cannot begin this journey on his own. Every man who has ever become great has done so by the aid of others who allowed him to pull away from trivial pursuits and focus his mind upon those actions which will allow him to be successful. In the end, lone wolves will be swallowed by the world around them, no matter how hard they attempt to fight against the raging tides. One man alone doesn’t have the strength necessary to tackle the struggles of life. However, when it comes to the will of a group, all fighting for one goal, the world will be forced to bend around their sigil, and the gangs of men will restart the world.

Author Advice

Recently, I’ve been working on how to be more productive with my writing. This is something I’ve been fascinated about ever since I became involved with authors who publish a vast amount of information a year, and I wished to learn the secret to such an outlook on writing. To my surprise, most of the titans of the industry follow a simple pattern diligently, and it works quite well for them.

The first piece of advice I was given was simple: have a benchmark for everyday writing. Jack London took to writing a thousand words every day for most of his life. Ernest Hemmingway would only write five hundred words a day but was quite meticulous with the choice of words in his writing. He would take as much as four hours to write roughly one and a half pages! Then again, his editors were amazed about just how little they would have to comb through and fix for him. Stephen King writes two-thousand words a day, every day. As the law of compounding interest would have it, King’s pattern would produce a one hundred and twenty-thousand-word manuscript in as little as two months. What I learned from these great authors was a simple idea that would aid me in completing my previous three books in the amount of time that I have: set a time, make it a habit, reach your benchmark every day.

The second lesson I learned was to have a set time and place to write. By doing so, eliminating all the distractions around you and dedicating a specific time frame every day to writing, one would be shocked to see the pages fly by and just how fast one can complete their writing.  By establishing a sacred area to conduct your writing scheme, you will surely give out more than the sporadic manner most indie authors distribute.

The final lesson I learned is from F. Scott Fitzgerald, one that I believe is the true deciding factor to whether or not a book will be completed or not: write to finish a book, not to gain perfection. For most, the most difficult thing to do when it comes to being an author is the process of writing the book, the short-story, the essay, the poem from beginning to the end. Once you have the rough draft in your hands, you will have the opportunity to edit and proofread later. Some even have experts perform the polishing work for them to aid in their production rate. That is what I do.

In the end, if one combines these simple methods, I have no doubts that they will have a work of their own creation read by someone in the world.

On Faith

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen and the fan which indulges the fire which burns within a man’s spirit. In his attempt to make sense of the world, a man will surely drive himself mad if he has no aberrance upon his belief in the Lord God in Heaven. For the atheist, I will surly tell you: every man has his own god in which he brings his forbearance to aid in carrying the burdens of life. Every man has a Bible which he seeks for guidance to live a great life. Truly, every man has his Son of God and Savior in whom he places his utmost faith within. For some, this may be the work of a philosopher; others may have a particular figure from history which he sees as his personal Father in Heaven. Some may even instill his entire being within the sacred heart of a wise man or woman who has heralded the mightiest pinnacle in their hearts. For whatever a man’s religion is, that is the chief trait about him, his character, his purpose in life and where he will be in the future.

            Some of the readers of this passage may say, “I have no religion, but I only have what I believe.” Aren’t the thoughts of a man correlated into a structural form not to be considered a theological aspect? Are your beliefs not your chief traits about who you are as a person? Whenever a man has an unalterable, immovable, unshakable virtue, is this not what would appear to be the pillars of his temple, the bones of his synagogue? Another man may respond to these questions by refuting, “But, I don’t consider my personal beliefs in any form of religion; I only believe what I have generated in my mind.” Do you believe that good deeds are the chief habits of character in most people you want to have in your life? If so, then you share a belief with almost half the world’s population consisting of those you may feel are “Religious Zealots”? What the atheist does not realize is that, while he believes that he is the sculptor of his own religion, his core values are those which religion has taught humanity for centuries. He does not realize that, to discard religion would be like repudiating our parents because we did not like their manners and clothes. The religious impulse is the art of impulse, and both are manifestations of love, and love is the basis of our sense of sublimity. What he does not realize is that good works and religion are one. Human beings are natural creatures of wanting to help one another, to live by one’s happiness and not by one another’s misery. He does not understand that religion is nearly ingrained within mankind’s DNA; as such, he will never be capable of shaking his connection with religion because his everyday thinking is a representation of the major religion he believes in, or the primary belief of those who surround him.

            To make the attempt of separating completely from any concept of religion is a difficult process, indeed! For a man to be freed from all religion which surrounds his culture, he must first begin as such: he must break away completely with any virtue which religion has aided in defining. To the atheist, I tell him that this is the most destructive decision he could ever make. What kind of man would he become if good works were shunned from his life? Where will he be in a year if over-indulgence is seen as a positive habit to engrain into his life? What kind of person would a man become if rape, murder and torture were seen as positive aspects in his daily life? This is not to say there are not religious sects which teach such practices to their followers, there are. However, there is no major sect of any primary religion in the world which does not attempt to teach their followers to live a life which is the antithesis of the previous statements. There are no laws in America, or civilized nations in the world, which would support such horrific crimes. No one would question the opposition to these actions, for it is the morality and ethical ideology of the society which decides that these crimes are emphatically wrong to commit. Funny how religious doctrine influences the lives of those who claim to belong outside the realm of religious doctrine when, in fact, religious ideology was the basis allowing morality to exist in the first place.

On Strength

     Seen as nothing more than an instrument in which to implement one’s will, the virtue of strength is one which few possess, yet many are capable of it. It is a skill which requires the greatest of discipline to master even though it is the most natural aspect of the human condition. What was once seen as commonplace is now a diamond in the rough culture of stagnant men and women, who spend their lives crystalized into pleasure over productivity. To put it bluntly, only they who are disciplined and virile are capable of such an awesome power

On The Future

It is difficult to comprehend the future when it will be different from your dreams. In my case, I planned on being a twenty-year veteran in the US Army, retiring as a high-ranking officer and spending my days teaching at University. I planned on seeing the world while wearing the uniform, absorbing the culture of other countries and holding a knowledge of the world which those outside the uniform would never know. I planned on leading troops into war, holding the responsibility of keeping my country free from the evils of this world. I planned on serving on Battalion staffs, making decisions which would impact a vast amount of people under my command. I planned on ascending into being a Battalion Commander, approving or denying policies based on whether or not they would benefit my soldiers. I planned on finally being chosen to be a Brigade Commander, establishing myself above all others in my twenty-five hundred troops. I had a plan for greatness, and I was determined to follow it.

            I raised my hand to serve in the year two-thousand and twelve, a lowly Private First-Class with a chip on both his shoulders. I entered Basic Training at Fort Benning where I learned how to be a soldier as well as a leader before moving on to Fort Gordon to learn my job: Radio COMSEC Repair. I was a lucky person to obtain this slot, a security clearance placed upon my shoulders and mastering a rare skill in the Army. For six months, I studied vigorously, graduating this school at the top of my class. I returned home with a new sense of self, and I was prepared to continue to push myself forward. I entered a military college and began my attempt to graduate and go to OCS and become an officer. It seemed as if my plan would come to pass and I would be well vested to continue my journey. It’s funny how life tends to have alternative plans for us.

            Upon my second semester of college, my sister passed away, leaving me alone in this world. My mind descended into madness at the loss of my only family. To make matters worse, the college which I believed was a great place descended into poor leadership and generated a sense of entitlement into the student leadership, creating an abuse of power. As for my Army life, I was stripped of my office used to repair radios and I was placed as a driver. The future got brighter when I met the woman who would become my wife, but I decided that my happiness would only be achieved if I removed myself from the cadet corps of this college and move in with her and her two children. It was when I decided to remove myself from the cadet life, my military life began to push more and more into a busyness like I had never known, pushing me further away from my new family. To make matters bleaker, since I was always away due to miscellaneous and often unnecessary orders to return to my unit, I couldn’t graduate college on time.

            While I was becoming more and more of a useless commodity for my unit due to my inability to do my job, I fell into a depression which would last for the next year. I had lost my purpose in the one place which I felt I truly belonged in this world. Even though I was massively depressed, I still wrote whenever I could, creating what I believed to be some of my greatest work at the time due to my lack of motivation to be giving my effort to the Army. It was when I was transferred to a different company that the fun really began to start.

            I was transferred to the 59th FSC when the 230th BSC was officially shut down, giving me a totally new leadership as well as a new purpose in the Army. My Company Commander was the former Executive Officer for the 230th, so I felt I would have a similar experience with this leadership that I was accustomed to. What I began to realize was that matters were going to get worse. I was stripped of my military driver’s license, pushed into a new platoon and essentially utilized as a universal tool in which NCO’s would use me for miscellaneous needs. I was completely miserable in my position, and I felt that I would no longer wish to be a part of the Army once my contract was up. I began to gain weight, smoke even more, drink more often and would see my childhood dream as a chore rather than a benefit to society. I was not doing anything worthwhile, and I felt my time with the Army wasn’t worthwhile either.

            Finally, my life would change again when my brigade was selected for deployment and I was allowed to be deployed with Able Company, an Infantry unit who saw me as a valuable commodity rather than a useless tool. They even attempted to remove me from the 59th and into their own ranks. I was to be moved in the following few months to better train with my new fellow soldiers and to better prepare for the future in Iraq. I was prepared to confer my knowledge of radio transmissions to my new leadership and do my duty with a smile on my face rather than a frown on my heart. The only thing which I needed to do before I was torn from the demeaning unit was go to Annual Training with them.

I was magically given back my driver’s license and given the task of leading our convoy to Fort Stuart for the training exercise. It was only when I saw the vehicle in which I was tasked to drive that concern overwhelmed me. The vehicle was nearly twenty-five thousand miles over what it needed to be, the wheels were slightly out of line, and there was an electrical issue with the vehicles front and rear lights. Despite my objections, I was ordered to drive the vehicle with a soldier who was one week out of his training. Despite my nervousness, I was a soldier, and I followed orders.

I loaded the vehicle, and I waited for the green light to lead the convoy. Once we were told to move forward, I left the unit, and we were on the way to our three-week training. I sucked on cigars and sipped water for three hours until it was time for me to switch driving with my Assistant Driver. We stretched our legs and were well on our way once more. I don’t remember what happened after that, because my next stream of consciousness was a nurse in the ICU.

What I later learned was we hydroplaned, and when my Assistant Driver attempted to correct, the misalignment in the wheels caused us to flip six times off the highway. Our seat belts snapped, causing the both of us to fly out of the vehicle and land on the moist ground. Had it not been for the swiftness of an NCO behind me on the convoy, I would be dead. He pulled me from the wreckage, and the both of us were rushed to the hospital where I stayed for eighteen days. I could move two fingers on my left hand, and I couldn’t feel my legs. I had broken thirty-eight bones in my body and was bruised so badly that I was black to the sight. It was here that my military career was officially and unemphatically, over.

Now I face a medical retirement and a pension rather than the glory in which I sought in my dreams. I will never again wear the uniform, will never again hold a rifle in defense of this country, will never know what it feels like to endure a combat deployment and will never know what it means to serve in a line unit. I will never know this because those who were charged with defending my well-being chose convenience over common sense. I will never know this because I was betrayed by those appointed above me decided that looking the other way was the best decision when it came to problems with a vehicle. I will never know this because my Company Commander was so unbendable that those who she was in charge of would never stand up to her, and would task two rising soldiers with something that would almost take their lives. When one sits on a pulpit and looks down upon their subordinates rather than understanding what their issues are, it is easy to overlook the real problems they face. In my case, it was the act of using an unsafe vehicle to perform a task, and the result was my dismissal from the Army and pain for the rest of my life. If she would have been allowed to continue to be in charge of a group of soldiers, the consequences overseas may have been the lives of her soldiers.

Therefore, I am thankful for the scars which I now bear, because that means no other soldier will feel the wrath of an ignorant leadership bent on gambling and betting others’ lives at the roulette wheel we know as Murphy’s Law.