Havok Journal Update – Charles Faint

American Warrior Radio

Havok Journal owner Charles Faint joins us for the last update of 2024. Charles is a retired Army Intelligence Officer who teaches at West Point military academy.

Charles shares his “second favorite” event at West Point; “Branch Night”. Branch Night is the evening when the cadets learn what branch they will be assigned. They are handed a sealed envelope and, after some formalities and a keynote speaker, they all tear open their envelopes to learn where they will start their Army career.

Generally, there is great excitement. However, on occasion, some cadets are disappointed. Charles explains that “Some of the best things that happened to me in life happened because I didn’t get what I wanted at the moment.” He would expect any Army 2^nd Lieutenant to just commit to doing the best job they can wherever they are assigned.

Next, we discuss Dave Chamberlain’s article about transitioning to civilian life. Dave served in our military for 38 years. His article makes a great comparison between leaving the service and “phantom limb pain”. Dave describes his first “phantom pain” came when his unit deployed shortly after retiring.

Vincent Johnson’s article “Friends Lost in the Sandbox” describes his challenges in dealing with the loss of comrades and survivors guilt. Charles shares his personal experiences in the same vein.

Brooke Hickox wrote an excellent article titled “A Civilian’s Military Benefit From a Daughter’s Perspective”. She describes growing up as the daughter of a law enforcement officer and Vietnam Veteran; the challenges but also the great way it prepared her for a productive adult life. Charles says it stands as an example of the breadth and diversity of their contributing authors.

We wrap up with Frank Pauc’s hard hitting article “What it Takes to Bridge the Civ-Mil Divide”. Even with my three decades of supporting military families, this article challenged my ideas about what we as civilians owe military Veterans.

I strongly recommend that any civilians seeking to understand the military/first responder communities pay a visit to the Havok Journal.