Great stories go hand in hand with military service. There are a special few, however, who have a soul and drive that can keep them coming for an entire lifetime. If you've ever had a friend like my buddy, John, you know exactly what I'm talking about. For these few individuals, the adventure doesn't always end with a DD214. For them, the military was like a gateway drug. It just gave them a taste for something they would crave over a lifetime. We're not all meant for a nine to five,...

Iraq,2008 "Oh my God, dude. I can't feel my face" This next story might not be sexy, but I'm willing to bet too many of you can relate to it. In the wonderful landscape of northern Iraq, six teammates and myself were creeping our way through the night to a small village somewhere outside the city of Samarra. We were doing the typical "low and slow" to avoid alerting anyone to our presence. We were about a hundred meters off to the side of a main road and spaced-out in a single file patrol...

If I could only pick five items to control bleeding, what would they be? For me, this isn't even a hard decision. They would be the exact same items I've used in war and right here in the U.S.A that are time tested, proven, easy to use and effective. Seriously, though, can we take a second and admire that picture up top? The tools of heroes on a beautiful fall morning in the greatest country on earth. Damn, I freaking love living in America. In the few years I was deployed as a medic in...