*Note: This essay was published in the Salt Lake City Tribune print edition on July 18, 2021. The text of the essay is included below. My house is empty and I have Salt Lake City to blame for that. As a career military officer, stationed near Colorado Springs, you’d think I’d be used to my family being away. But with…
*Note: This essay was published in the Los Angeles Times print edition on December 22, 2020. Images from the actual print story, as well as text can be found below; it can also be found online here. Our Christmas tree has a knee. “A crooked tree for a crooked year” was my sales pitch when we spotted the bent…
*Note: A slightly edited version of this essay was published in the Pikes Peak Bulletin print edition on March 19, 2020. It can also be found online here, an image of the column is included below. Six weeks ago, the Manni Awards at City Hall were packed with people. Describing the celebration, Shanti Toll told the attendees,…
*Note: This essay was published in the Pikes Peak Bulletin print edition on August 29, 2019. It can also be found online here, an image of the column is included below, as well as the text of the essay. At 6:52 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27, Manitou Springs took a big step forward. City Councilman Gary Smith…
*Note: This essay was published in the Pikes Peak Bulletin print edition on November 22, 2018. It can also be found online here, an image of the column is included below, as well as the text of the essay. When the Manitou Springs Public Library’s doors opened on February 22, 1911, William Howard Taft was president, China’s…
*Note: This essay was published in the Salt Lake Tribune print edition on November 18, 2018. It can also be found online here. “Why would he go?” Recently, a relative called from Salt Lake City to talk about the tragic death of Utah Army National Guard Maj. Brent Taylor(who in civilian life had also served as mayor…
*Note: This essay was published in the Pikes Peak Bulletin print edition on November 8, 2018. It can also be found online here, an image of the column is included below, as well as the text of the essay. It’s time to fix Manitou’s library — it’s far too small and impossible to access for our disabled…
*Note: This essay was originally published on the Modern War Institute’s Commentary & Analysis site. There’s two kinds of people in the military: those on deployment now, and those bound for an overseas tour soon. Both require separation from home, and if home is where the heart is, then that means soldiers separated from…
Image provided by Flikr user US Army. By Major Matt Cavanaugh *Editor’s Note: Those who have followed the WarCouncil site know I’m an assistant professor at West Point, where I teach DS470: Military Strategy. Unfortunately, I find myself at the end of my three year teaching tour, and this summer I will move on to the Korean Peninsula. At the…
Image courtesy of FistfulofTalent. I recently grabbed an old Sports Illustrated (June 23, 2014), and read an Albert Chen story (“Business As Usual”) about the Oakland Athletics. Yes, as the image above would signify, I’m a bit jaded about all the lessons that can be drawn from Billy Beane and the Moneyball approach (*though I…