READY ON THE LEFT ? READY ON THE RIGHT? Whenever I am in a shooting competition, I become extremely focused. It’s all about me, my breathing, and the straight line between the muzzle of my pistol and the “X” on … More »

“Hi Mrs. Schroeder, I am looking for a book about …” began a Friday night ritual at my hometown’s library when I was about 10 years old. After watching her flip through cards in narrow drawers, I would follow her … More »

“You should be a writer,” my Mom recently commented to me. I just rolled my eyes. It’s been a hectic few months since my Dad passed away, so maybe she doesn’t remember what I do for a living—or maybe, she … More »

A few years ago, a friend of mine who collects WWII vehicles, called me. “John, you like WWI Tank Corps stuff, right?” he asked before describing an identified uniform and helmet he had just bought at a farm auction. “Is … More »

“Adolf Hitler didn’t die in the bunker, “ a 10-year old participant in a regional History Fair explained to me. “He escaped on a submarine and made it to South America where he lived for many years after WWII.” A … More »

“Dear General Dayan, After we saw you on the news, my Dad said you are one of the greatest tank officers who ever lived,” began a letter I wrote when I was about ten years old. Written in blue ballpoint … More »

“Why would a publisher invite a person convicted of federal crimes committed against the gun collecting community to write the foreword of a book directed at that very same community?” That is the question I asked Sandy See, the University … More »

What is it that causes a deep stir within the spirit of some at the sight of a tattered Confederate flag under glass or the bright steel of a cavalry saber? Perhaps such items evoke a long-forgotten school lesson about … More »

I think my investment portfolio lost about $20,000 since the beginning of 2016. As oil prices plummeted and the China manufacturing slow-down destabilized the world financial markets, I watched the crumbling of years’ efforts to build a “comfortable” retirement. “Stay … More »

According to Last Week’s Tonight host, John Oliver, if people have not yet broken this year’s resolutions, “statistically” they are about to. His sound advice was not on how to keep those inevitably broken promises but “how to revise them … More »