ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT It needed three separate assaults on my part. It is bleak, insightful, unflinchingly honest. The music is harsh; it sounds like flatulence, like gas escaping a decomposing corpse. Unspeakably long, yet without a moment of sentimentality. This is no Disney rendering. I found an article online entitled “How To… Continue reading ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Category: Combat
“OTHERIZE”
Yeah, he IS part of an antiquated human tradition of conquerors and those conquered. Royalty. Monarchy. Scandal. Tragedy. Controversy. What I find compelling is his candid examination of having been a man at war. A man who risked death and administered it. However you feel about his mother and his wife and his conflicts with… Continue reading “OTHERIZE”
LEO
“I ain’t afraid of dying. I already been there”, says Leonardo in The Revenant. And I can dig it. But pain now….pain is something else. Leo and that bear…well, he may not fear death but he damn sure remembers how much that bear made him hurt. And it sounds good. “I ain’t afraid of dyin”.… Continue reading LEO
ALLEN WEST
And another thing. 😉 This nimrod political wannabe Allen West, weighing in on Rumps misinformed blathering, encourages a troubled soldier to be strong and courageous. To pray. Wrong, asshat! Yes, there are times in war when we are tired, we are frightened, we are confused, we are bleeding, we are even dying…and yes, we summon… Continue reading ALLEN WEST
TEMPER
Yeah. Gotta cop to something tonite. Had an exchange out there yesterday in the real world; one that truly tested my present reality. My master bathroom has a bulb out, affecting my daily real world clarity! Btw, it’s now been out maybe 3 weeks. Today I decide to DEAL with it! Drive to Home Depot,… Continue reading TEMPER
This is the Blog of Tucker Smallwood. Actor, Musician, Writer, Veteran.
WELCOME HOME
COMPENSATION, ETHICS AND HONOR
I don’t question the likelihood that there are veterans who have gamed the system and have disability ratings which are excessive for their injuries. I don’t question the likelihood that there are veterans possessing decorations which are excessive for their conduct under fire. If you have a perception that veterans are more moral, upstanding… Continue reading COMPENSATION, ETHICS AND HONOR
SERVICE
I read the observations of veterans from different countries, of different wars, of different generations. There is a common sentiment, often with equal elements. Some of us would love to be engaged in a war in which we could be entirely invested. Some of us envy a righteous cause. Most of us know and accept… Continue reading SERVICE
RUSS
I’ve lost a friend of many years. In truth, Russell passed on December 20th but I only received certainty today. I’ve been trying to call him for weeks and had premonitions but shrugged them off. Despite his many ailments, Russell was incredibly hardy…and stubborn. His phone would ring and ring; he’d never had an answering… Continue reading RUSS
TUCKER 2.0
MAGNITUDE OF MIRACLES. 9/14/69 was without question the single most impactful day of my life…because it was my Resurrection Day. Brought back from death. Some of you may cherish a single day in your own life; a day head and shoulders above ANY other. If so, please share those memories with me, with us. So… Continue reading TUCKER 2.0