When a military unit deactivates, whether because of shrinking force numbers, redundant capabilities, or simple realignment, a ceremony is held where the unit’s flags, or “colors”, are rolled tightly and put into storage for good. Unit histories are read, stories are shared, and then everyone carries on with their lives at new assignments and the machine rolls on. After a year on the internet, it’s time for Talk On’s own color-casing ceremony.
Starting next month, Talk On will begin migrating selected content over to Dead Reckoning Collective (DRC), where all future Talk On articles and projects will be hosted. DRC is a veteran owned and operated media company whose mission, “to present a more positive and accurate image of veterans to themselves and to the public”, closely aligns with Talk On’s original intent.
The site has been quiet for months now, mostly because the constraints of real life have demanded more of my time, but also because all the trappings of career, community, and family have my eyes and energy focused forward rather than behind. As the months and years since my last day in uniform begin to stack up, the urgency of all those memories has begun to slowly fade, and I simply can’t sustain the level of content to justify an independent site when there are so many other great outlets dedicating time and effort to advancing a conversation about our experiences at war. That being said, I’m still looking forward to continuing work on projects that highlight and enhance veteran stories like the Other Reasons and Call & Response, and the talented contributors to those projects deserve to have their work seen by a larger audience – the kind you can find following Dead Reckoning Collective.
To all the writers, artists, and contributors to this page over the past year, I can’t thank you enough. The work you created was inspiring and far beyond anything I originally expected when I launched this site–and it was viewed and admired by over five thousand readers on this site. I can’t wait to seek out more in future months with a better platform at Dead Reckoning Collective. We’ll take the time to throw some light back on our most successful stories and collaborations as they shift to their new home, and will launch bigger and better projects under a new banner.
Until next time, thank you for reading.
Talk On 