The current stories about Afghanistan and Iraq are broken. The complexity, humanity, and barbarity of what happened during the last 20 years needs to be heard. That's why I wrote Where Cowards Go to Die and After 2 long years, the book is finally here. Watch this:

My dear friend and fellow wartime veteran ⁦@benjamincsledge⁩ hits me with the reality that us early 80s kids will be stuck with Xennial forever. But that generational slice is real, dammit! medium.com/the-panopticon-pu…

The origin of the phrase, “Let them eat cake,” is in response to peasants starving and a princess being told they have no bread. In a modern translation, it’s a billionaire paying $250,000 to visit the Titanic wreckage while their workers can’t eat. link.medium.com/caerDHeoGBb

Big congrats to our former interviewee, @benjamincsledge whose wonderful book "Where Cowards Go To Die" placed in the International Book Awards. Check out my interview with him last year! Apple Podcasts: rb.gy/qfhz8 Spotify: rb.gy/xynx8

In the Line of Fire: How My Best Friend’s Death Taught Me to Live by @benjamincsledge in @humanparts humanparts.medium.com/in-the… Facing survivor’s guilt, finding redemption, and learning to embrace life after the ultimate sacrifice Kyle was supposed to be the writer, not me. My mom often referred to Kyle as her “third son” when introducing him to family friends because he would visit my parents even when I wasn’t home. The minute he walked in the door to my childhood home, he would drop his pants and moon my mother. My mom would burst into laughter while my dad just shook his head, partly because he could never predict when Kyle would show up and drop trou, revealing his bare ass with a small tattoo on it. The man had his own key to my parents’ home, after all. The last time my parents saw Kyle was shortly before he deployed to Afghanistan. He had just completed a journalism stint in Panama covering the Miss Universe pageant and picked up a gift for my parents. Unwrapping the present, Kyle grinned ear-to-ear, awaiting my mom’s response until she frowned. “What the hell is this, Kyle?” “It’s a fresco painting of Panama! Put it somewhere where everyone can see!” My mom chuckled, intending never to display the atrocity and quietly dump it in the trash; Kyle none the wiser. To this day, we still don’t know whether Kyle meant the painting as a joke or whether he was serious. It looks like a cheesy postcard you’d pick up at a gas station and matches nothing in my mom’s house decor. Not long after visiting my parents, Kyle left for Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and then landed in Afghanistan to replace me and other members of my Army unit. I greeted Kyle with a hug when he arrived. I wrapped my injured arm around his neck and then tapped the back of his head with my cast. “This is the shit you have to look forward to,” I said with a smirk and a wink. A month earlier, I had been wounded in action when I took the brunt of a 107mm rocket while the Taliban and al Qaeda tried to attack our small forward operating base next to the Pakistani border. Kyle laughed, then made a statement about how all the Afghan women would love him so much he’d probably be fighting jealous Taliban because of the number of Afghan babies he planned to produce. We meandered through the wreckage on the outskirts of Kandahar Airfield while he asked questions, and I filled him in on my tour of duty. Most of the time, we joked and carried on, but then he sobered and asked, “How’d you not go crazy from the fear?” I cocked my head quizzically, while Kyle expanded on his comment. “I’m just… worried about dying, ya know? Then leaving my family to deal with the wreckage.” I knew the feeling all too well, but in war, it served no purpose. I decided to shoot him straight and give him the truth I had discovered for myself. “You’re dead anyway,” I responded. Kyle frowned, but I continued, undeterred. “The minute you walked into theater, you became a dead man walking. There are no guarantees in combat. You’re always one rocket or bullet away from a dirt nap. The trick is convincing yourself that you’re already dead so that every day you wake up breathing, it’s a gift. Dead men have nothing to fear. So the sooner you make your peace with death, the faster you’ll be able to do your job. That’s what I had to do. I was really afraid at first, and you don’t want to die, but then you just become… okay with dying, I guess. It gets easier once you accept that.” Despite the truth of these words, I have regretted them every single day of my life. I wish I had hugged Kyle and said something comforting like, “Bro, you got this. Don’t sweat that shit.” I wish I had told him he was my best friend and that I loved him. But I didn’t. Instead, my last words to one of my best friends were nothing more than to prepare for his demise and not be a pussy about it. Kyle was killed a week later.

I lost my best friend in combat almost 20 years ago when it should have been me. As #MemorialDay looms, take a second, read this and remember our fallen: humanparts.medium.com/in-the…

Those of you who've read my popular treatises on faith on Medium or my book will directly understand the impact of @timkellernyc on my life. Along with CS Lewis and Bonhoeffer, he was among my trinity of theologians. Might I finish my life in meekness and humility as he did.

Just got a copy of @benjamincsledge's new book, Where Cowards Go To Die, about his journey through war and life. Can't wait to read it! Have heard good things.

Huge congratulations to veteran @benjamincsledge who was just awarded the Gold award for his book "Where Cowards Go To Die" We interviewed him about the book last year. Hope you enjoy this interview! Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/.../the..…... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1aW…...

I've seen a LOT of dumb relationship advice on social media in the last few years, so if you plan to get married some day (whether divorced, dating, or engaged) here's what I would tell you: link.medium.com/Igxj8Ens8yb

Read this piece by by @benjamincsledge in @humanparts humanparts.medium.com/its-be…

20 years ago today marks when we invaded Iraq. I was on Spring Break, only to get a call 3 days later. Here's what the war cost the 0.86% of us that served 👇 #Iraq20YearsOn #IraqWar humanparts.medium.com/its-be…

Automated #AI lawsuits against spam callers with #ChatGPT??? Sounds to good to be true, right? I started writing for @PopSmokeMedia, and spoke with some HUMAN lawyers. Here's a quick synopsis by yours truly: popsmokemedia.com/can-we-use…

Benjamin Sledge decorated Army vet discuss what the most challenging part was when he was writing about his traumatic war experiences. @benjamincsledge @proinsight Make sure to buy or download Bens book " Where Cowards Go To Die" buff.ly/3wDISXj

Coming up this week on @ProfessInsight Podcast. Author, Army Vet. and Purple Heart Winner @benjamincsledge