This song will always hold a special place in my heart. The moment I first heard it, I knew instantly that the singer was Stevie Winwood. I was in 3rd Field Hospital in Saigon. Been there about 10 days or so. It was September of 1969. I still couldn’t speak…but I could damn sure hear.… Continue reading CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME
Category: Veteran
Essays regarding training, combat, command, etc.
PROBING THE MINEFIELD
This reportage on accusations against a Seal Team Commander (and our CIC’s interferencein the UCMJ) is troubling and dispiriting for several reasons. Elite units are regarded as suchbecause of their physical and mental standards and their exacting training. Apart from Delta,there is no unit ( publicly acknowledged) any more elite than our Navy Seal Teams.… Continue reading PROBING THE MINEFIELD
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
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
“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”
THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS…
In search of something today to alter my depressive mindset, I chose a movie full of artists whose work I expect to find worth my time and money. THE HOLLARS stars such leads, like Richard Jenkins, Margo Martindale and is directed by John Krasinski…and aptly so. It’s a humanistic family mess, full of flawed characters… Continue reading THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS…
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
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
THE JOB
I traveled east to DC this past week to support an event for a film discussing PTSD and veteran suicide. It was unlike me to be away; this past Wednesday was my 53rd Alive Day. I rarely venture far from home during this time. I tend to be emotional and fragile…but I felt this event… Continue reading THE JOB