September 17, 2011

My Drill Instructor

Officer Candidate School, Pensacola. I sit in my rack, my bed, listening to the early Florida morning. Soon, the drill instructors will arrive. I know -- I heard the gouge from years past. My eyes close, but refuse to let me sleep.

August 27, 2011

On Dogs, Man, and the Navy

When an unmarried man retires, divorces himself from the Navy, and takes off his uniform for the last time, he often loses something quiet. It is subtle, this change, and those first years out of khaki dress-blues can be troubling.