In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It's also a psychological trap that can stop one's growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior.

Matterhorn is my metaphor of the Vietnam War - we built it, we abandoned it, we assaulted it, we lost, and then we abandoned it again.

In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest, not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It's also a psychological trap that can stop one's growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior.

When the peace treaty is signed, the war isn't over for the veterans, or the family. It's just starting.

The time for debilitating fear is before and after the mission.

Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious about writing.

Quitting is unthinkable and pain is just weakness leaving the body