The Stick

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A photo of a helicopter taking off from the deck of a Navy ship with high clouds streaked with purple and pink in the background.

The Pipeline: Launch

It’s not always a choice between right and wrong. Sometimes it’s between right and right. That is: right and easy, or right and hard.

Silhouette of a person standing alone at the top of a hill against a clear blue sky, gazing out into the distance.

The Pipeline: Switch

Pressure from above may crush you, but it cannot move you. Get used to telling senior officers to stuff it.

A photo of a theater, viewed from the stage looking out to the audience, with a microphone facing the viewer.

Professional Development

The Pipeline: Crash

The anxiety is not all in your head. There are real reasons for it.

A drawing of a confused person - in a thought bubble, there is a drawing of the vectors used to control a frigate, those used to control a destroyer, and a jumbled mash-up of both of them.

The Pipeline: Shame

Experience and the confidence it produces are great assets. But it can be overdone.

Rough waves crashing on a lighthouse on a snow-covered beach below thick gray clouds.

The Pipeline: Doubt

New situations and old baggage raise lingering doubts. And the only way out is through.

A single small white coffee cup, partially filled, on a rustic wood table.

The Pipeline: Reflection

Former shipmates reflect on command responsibility and the aftermath. The crucible shapes and the specter haunts long after the watch.

Rows of violet lavender under a pink sky, high puffy clouds, and a distant single tree on the horizon.

Yardstick: Spring 2026

A forest clearing on a sunny day in winter.

Yardstick: Winter 2026

A drawing of a greeting card on a table.

Season's Greetings

This time of year gives a flood of memory and emotion. Here, we have a voice for all of them.

A Navy ship underway, heading into the sunset.

Advice for a Department Head

A former shipmate reaches out for advice on a challenging assignment.

A drawing of a man seated at a table struggling with difficult emotions, and a boy standing in the background.

Old Friends

Sometimes, while trying to protect ourselves, we become our own worst enemies.

Three pizzas arranged on a table.

One Big Happy Very Weird Family

Our isolation hurts us. So when a strange twist of fate brings us together, savor it. Then take that change in direction as a challenge because "happily ever after" is something we work for.

A forest path in autumn.

Halftime: Autumn 2025

Drill sergeant standing on stage saluting an American flag.

Thank You for Your Service

Our service members defend us and it is right to honor them. But there are times when they need defending. And we need to do it.

An American flag inside a heart shape.

We the People Have Spoken

Things are broken, but not beyond repair. The People still have power and a voice.

A father thanking his son's friend.

Keep the Door Open

Mistakes happen, and so do consequences. No need to make things worse.

Altar in an empty cathedral

Strength in Weakness

The path you follow may lead back to where you started, but that place is not the same. Because neither are you.

A glass of whiskey on the rocks.

Adrift, Awash, Alone

When the ties that keep you moored begin to break and the warmth in your chest is from the whiskey, heavy strain leads to parting lines.

A father holding a baby, touching foreheads.

Fatherhood Journals

One person can't hold all that love. Nor can one person shoulder all the challenges. We all have our own special needs.

Painting of a man relaxing on his porch with a corn cob pipe.

Yardstick: Autumn 2025

A path leading up into the mountains with a rainbow in the distance.

Spiritual Practice

Pain, Suffering, Refuge: Part 3

A path forward: wisdom, ethics, and open minds. Because right now, the world needs all the decent people it can get.

An aircraft carrier and a destroyer steaming side by side.

Course Corrections

A story of growing pains, accountability, delegation, and sleep deprivation. Sometimes things go wrong.

A water drop causing ripples on the surface.

Spiritual Practice

Pain, Suffering, Refuge: Part 2

A story of cause and effect. Perhaps we should be mindful of the ripples we create.

Armored knights engaged in combat.

Honor Code

A story of retribution, by Stuart. My school always sponsored a hayride in early October, and most everybody took the opportunity to ride an open cart in the chilly Autumn evening with a delicious cup of hot apple cider waiting for them at the end. But there were risks. School-sponsored

A football on a field

Fighting Words

A story of pushing back, by Felix. I grew up in a bar. My mom worked at Sonny’s, the neighborhood dive, a fine place to drink cheap beer and listen to a juke box as vintage as the clientele. After school I’d sit there waiting until the end