Battlefields Staff

The Battlefields Staff is a diverse collective of military veterans, first responders, and their supporters, who share their thoughts and experiences on the front lines and the home front through The Epoch Times.

#22toZero: Veterans Are Making Veteran Suicide Worse

According to recent estimates, 22 veterans kill themselves each day. We need to do better.

Veterans March 10, 2024
Bridging the Gap: Framing America’s Civ-Mil Problem

America’s armed forces and American society are drifting further and further apart, creating a potentially dangerous divide.

Veterans March 9, 2024
The Decline in Stature of the American Veteran

Veterans are in need of a conversation about who they are, with the goal of being understood, not ...

Veterans March 8, 2024
Why Are States Having to Use the National Guard for Routine State Functions?

'The National Guard continues to be called up to combat problems that are largely caused by policy decisions ...

Veterans March 7, 2024
I Loved the War More Than I Loved … You.

'Deploying was my only love until I met you.'

Veterans March 6, 2024
Practical Military Realism in an Unpredictable World: Machiavelli’s Treatise on Fortune

'Leaders who consider these straightforward principles are forearmed and better prepared to mitigate the impact of unexpected and ...

Veterans March 5, 2024
Comparative Analysis: Why It’s the Enemy of True Progress and Joy for Veterans

Measuring our progress against others limits our potential to what is known and achieved; competing with ourselves opens ...

Veterans March 3, 2024
A Veteran Offers Four ‘Unapologetically American’ Reasons Why We Still Need the Draft

Put a two-year draft intro effect, and things will 'get real,' real quick.

Veterans March 1, 2024
Living Like It’s September 12th: Dangers of the Modern Lens

We shouldn't need another 9/11 to wake up. Because in the end, liberty prevails when a nation values ...

Veterans February 29, 2024
For the Sake of My Brothers and Sisters in Arms, I Choose Honor

A veteran reflects on how service members were treated in the post-Vietnam era. 9/11 changed that.

Veterans February 28, 2024
Hamas, ‘The Invisible Gorilla,’ and What the Media-Political Complex Is Doing to America

'We are far too comfortable focusing on what journalists tell us is important, instead of sussing that out ...

Veterans February 27, 2024
Embracing the Uncomfortable: How Imposter Syndrome Is a Veteran’s Secret Catalyst for Growth

Rather than a harbinger of self-doubt, this phenomenon can be a catalyst for profound personal development and a ...

Veterans February 25, 2024
A Veteran’s Letter to His Daughter: You Brought Peace to a Troubled Soul

Every member of a military family bears the burden of service. Sometimes that reality is heartbreaking.

Veterans February 25, 2024
Veterans and Quitting: The Paradox of Letting Go to Move Forward

It's been said 'winners never quit.' But is that always true?

Veterans February 23, 2024
The Psychology Behind Social Media Hate: A Veteran Explains

Dehumanization of a person or group is the first step to genocide. History proves that over and over.

Veterans February 22, 2024
A Veteran Asks: Why Do You Keep Saying ‘Militant’ Instead of ‘Terrorist,’ and ‘Executed’ Instead of ‘Murdered’?

'Well, journalists, you make the rules. No one is forcing you to church up the language that we ...

Veterans February 22, 2024
Veterans: The Storm We Might Be Called to Sail Into Might Be Someone’s Personal Life

Death is hard enough to deal with on its own. When that death is self-induced, the pain is ...

Veterans February 20, 2024
Meditations of an Army Ranger: The Pursuit of Purpose in Every Moment–Why Your Purpose is Now

'Embrace the idea that your purpose is now, in this moment, no matter how ordinary or small it ...

Veterans February 19, 2024
Death by PowerPoint

It continues to be a real hazard of military—and civilian—life.

Veterans December 15, 2023
The Lessons I Learned in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery

These men and women gave their lives to save people from evil 'so atrocious that it exceeds the ...

Veterans December 14, 2023
PTSD Isn’t Killing Us—The System Is

Who is advocating for those who have paid the highest costs for their elite service?

Veterans December 13, 2023
Combat Veterans and ‘The Switch’

A warrior poet's musings on the vital on/off switch, 'forged in steel but ... grown rusted from all ...

Veterans December 12, 2023
Navigating the Fog: Bridging the Gap Between Warriors and Corporate America

The 'fog of war' may be more comfortable to vets than the business world. But the 'fog of ...

Veterans December 11, 2023
Raising Guerilla Gurus: Cultivating a Military Mindset for a New Age

Today's military must embrace omnidirectional thinking, says a former special forces officer.

Veterans December 7, 2023
A Question for Our Nation: What Does It Mean to Serve?

'Servant leadership extends beyond traditional business settings and equally applies to law enforcement and military leadership.'

Veterans December 1, 2023
I’ll Take My Armor Off Someday—But Not Today

Although home and hearth call, a vet reflects that he'll bear the armor of duty and obligation for ...

Veterans November 27, 2023
At Home Between Patrols

A vet reflects on the importance of home: that place you carry with you for strength and motivation ...

Veterans November 21, 2023