Veteran Talk – The Trauma Olympics

(Pensacola, Florida; Jan. 25, 2023) – The Trauma Olympics don't actually exists, but there are many people, both veterans and civilians, who still try to root for them! I've never tried to hide my frustration, indeed, my outrage and indignation, that I've been sidelined and marginalized by many veterans organizations and other trauma support groups … Continue reading Veteran Talk – The Trauma Olympics

Sparks1524 Video – 100!

NEW VIDEO!! This is IT! The 100th episode of Sparks1524! Take a moment to see how it all began, and then join me for a brief discussion about the future plans I and my crack staff of one (me!) have in store! Let's celebrate this small, but significant, milestone! https://youtu.be/2QhHSaa1ltk #nathanaelmiller, #sparks1524, #video, #justmythoughts, #travellog, … Continue reading Sparks1524 Video – 100!

Mental Health – Tossing Toxic Tails on the Tarmac

(Pensacola, Florida; June 16, 2022) – I threw Alvin out of my house and life only 48 hours into a five-day visit. ‘Alvin’ is not his real name, but we’ll use it here. I met him in Virginia’s Hampton Roads area back in 2014 when my ex-wife and I first separated. I was predictably devastated … Continue reading Mental Health – Tossing Toxic Tails on the Tarmac

Just My Thoughts – Will Smith’s Assault on a Civil Society

(Pensacola, Florida; April 1, 2022,) – Will Smith is a childish bully who ENDORSES violence against those who SAY something he doesn’t like. Once again, I take up my pen on a cultural issue because the only thing evil needs to succeed is for good people to say and do nothing, and assaulting a man … Continue reading Just My Thoughts – Will Smith’s Assault on a Civil Society

Veteran Talk – Deceleration is Authorized!

(Pensacola, Florida; Jan. 23, 2022) – The military life is a fast-paced, tightly scheduled animal defined by rigid schedules and flavored with the endless expectation each member will never stop striving forward towards greater leadership and responsibility. The post-military ‘slow down’ in life can make you feel like a bird flying smack into a plate … Continue reading Veteran Talk – Deceleration is Authorized!

Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

(Niceville, Florida; 11 September 2021) – Twenty years ago today I was standing on the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as we spun up the Tomcats of VF-213 for a routine day of flying over the Arabian Sea. One of our civilian tech reps had a small camera and waved to me, … Continue reading Veteran Talk – Twenty Years Later

Mental Health: Open Letter to Afghanistan Veterans 2

(Niceville, Florida; August 21, 2021) – It’s been five days now since we watched the horrific farce play out in Afghanistan. I can’t even look at any of my ‘Navy Pride’ stuff. T-shirts, ball caps, anything. Looking at it fills me with such rage, such betrayal, such a singular sense of senseless futility that I … Continue reading Mental Health: Open Letter to Afghanistan Veterans 2

Mental Health: Open Letter to Afghanistan Veterans

(Niceville, Florida; August 17, 2021) – I cannot offer any witty remarks or humorous proverbs about what happened yesterday in Afghanistan. I’m a veteran myself. My deployments were at sea, but all were in support of my brothers and sisters on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. I helped launch the first Navy manned strikes … Continue reading Mental Health: Open Letter to Afghanistan Veterans

Just My Thoughts: Momentous Triumphant!

(Silverdale, Washington; April 23, 2021) – The pandemic has impacted everyone across the globe. Our nation has been riven by fear, strife, super-spreader events justified by politicians and media pundits who preferred to advance a political agenda at the expense of safety, and the loss of time with loved ones…if not the loss of the … Continue reading Just My Thoughts: Momentous Triumphant!

Mental Health: Stop Talking and Start LISTENING, for Crying out Loud!

**Author's Note: This column was supposed to be published yesterday morning (Nov. 19), but human error delayed it by 24 hours. I uploaded and prepped everything, but forgot to hit the "publish" button. (Silverdale, Washington; Nov. 19, 2020) – I did something this past Monday I’ve never done before: I walked out of my counselor’s … Continue reading Mental Health: Stop Talking and Start LISTENING, for Crying out Loud!