Situational awareness is the nexus that informs effective planning and decision making processes. Understanding the key constituent elements of situational awareness can take a leaders game to a more advanced level.Read More →
It’s dark again. Not so for the past two months. One would fall to sleep in sunlight, wake at mid-morning lightness for the ‘man-walk’ to drain the bladder; no night light needed. At ‘daybreak,’ when the cats meowed, pleading for food (or attention), it was light. When the second, orRead More →
Another Cottage project, another Cottage production! – DIY Wood Turned Mallet This time the discipline was woodworking, specifically turning a ‘spindle on a wood lathe. The final result, a turned chisel mallet. This vid captures a novices attempt to turn a chisel mallet on his new lathe. If your intoRead More →
Fishing the Kvichak, Bristol Alaska Fishing season explodes onto the inlets and rivers in Alaska every Spring and Summer. True to form, a small group of us flew out to Igiugig (a Bristol Bay native village) and then boated down to Blueberry Island for a few days of Sockeye, SalmonRead More →
First In, Last Out! Heroic stories of Army operations always have Scouts as the ‘First In’ and the battled embittered infantry holding down the fort as the ‘Last Out.’ True, perhaps, for many historic battles. But lesser known and more frequent military engagements begin with Logisticians forming the advancedRead More →
Is America a Great Nation? The Make America Great Again (MAGA) political slogan triggers acrimonious debate about America’s current place in the world and its past. Was America a great country? It’s common rhetoric on news broadcasts, movies, TV shows, and even political rallies to bedevil the character andRead More →
Notre Dame, the iconoclastic symbology of Paris and the steadfast traditional western values of 25 generations Notre Dame of Parisians, is on fire. While not her first, it is yet to be seen if it will be her last. The glorious spire that overlooked human evolution since 1260 has fallen.Read More →
Captain Davenport DIY Desk Build Captain Davenport’s desk is the latest inspiration for my new project. I designed this project to discover if the retirement investment in woodworking tools and hours in front of Youtube’s expert’s could produce something other than idle imagination. With homemade plans on the whiteboard IRead More →
Sometimes Interservice scorn is deserved Soldier’s Stories often turn into Soldier’s ‘bitching and moaning’ stories! This is one such story of earned Interservice Rivalries. Traditionally most service members enjoy engaging in inter-service rivalries. We love to hate the other services and deride them for perceived weaknesses and not measuring upRead More →
Leadership through Tough Love? Sometimes when in a leadership position you find yourself preserving your sanity by being an Ass. I’m not sure it’s always a good thing, but sometimes it’s not bad. Soldiers come and go from platoons. On one occasion while leading a platoon in the 82d AirborneRead More →
‘Ass Chewing’ A time-honored tradition in the Services is the art of ‘Ass Chewing.’ Ass Chewing, or ‘on-the-spot correction’, or critical critique of one’s actions, performance or behavior is a normal, day to day occurrence, it’s just how seniors let their juniors understand in a very clear way where theyRead More →
Myths & Lies Organizational Myths and lies. Every organizations lies to perpetuate itself, and it enlists the aid of those who are perpetuated by it (knowingly or unknowingly). Every organization has myths about what behavior, actions, or practices will help its members get ahead. The challenge of the aspiring youngRead More →
Self Delusion? Most Officers flatter themselves by thinking of themselves as commanders, and the occasional staff officer. For most, they believe time as a staff officer is just a holding pattern until the next command comes along! For most Officers, this is self-delusion! Although many officers will serve wonderfully longRead More →
Leadership Maturity It’s strange how some minor, seemingly trivial memories remain with us long after they occurred. One must conclude that deep down, they actually hold some value that sways our outlook today. I vividly recall one such memory highlighting my low standards and immature leadership at the time. ItRead More →
Exceptions to Rules? Rules are Rules, however, sometimes there are exceptions. While serving in a Truck Platoon in the 82d, we worked all hours of the day and night supporting units with truck transport. We had the Platoon rule that if you worked after 2100, you didn’t have to comeRead More →
From the Cottage at Zimmer’s Landing 19 December ’18 Merry Christmas from snowy, cheerful and quaking Alaska – home of the aftershock! Our recent ‘stirred and shaken’ experiences brought a riveting conclusion to our engaging, exciting and far flung year; a year we hope was equally exciting and memorable forRead More →
The anatomy of an earthquake. I know what your thinking….and you could be wrong! Earthquakes overpower their victims into violent spasms of fear, horror and brief moments of heroism (or cowardice). OK, so if you think this, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong, just halfway. Earthquakes, violent ones, don’t do this,Read More →
Open Doors Vs Security Short Op/Ed from the ‘Cottage at Zimmer’s Landing’, for your reading indulgence. Drafted back in Nov 2015 during the current ‘crises’ concerning ‘Trump’s Travel Ban.’ ( Open doors vs security) Op/Ed We often decry the lack of critical thinking or reasoning,,,,just before posting the meme thatRead More →
‘To own or not to own’? A review on gun ownership. In an acrimonious environment where aggrieved emotions and pent-up frustrations influence our legislative processes and (un)civil discourse over one of our more basic rights, attached is a self exploration on gun ownership for your examination. This exploration considersRead More →
Symbiosis Critical elements to good leadership are confidence and competence. Confidence is easily discerned by those who follow. Employees will more willingly conform to their leaders influence when those leaders present a confident attitude about their business. A leader’s confidence is infectious. With a confident leader and confident staff, theirRead More →