Call For Fire

Forgive the cheap FO reference in the title…it’s a bad joke I refuse to stop making. If you play along for a second though, the metaphor actually does fit. Like a Forward Observer, the Talk On is sitting on an OP and looking down at some targets (civilian readers), and I need rounds from the […]

The Other Reasons #3: Kasey Pipitt

This is the third post in an indefinite series. Everyone knows that 9/11 was the horrible mechanism that initiated our descent into a war fought by a small subset of Americans. But how well do you know the men and women who have joined the fight? Do you imagine they are wildly different from you? […]

Artist Profile: Sarah Rossetti

The Talk On was created as a hub for veterans to reach out directly to civilians with creative content in order to bridge the cultural gap between us. But, there are already some “civilians” that have a direct view of our experience and exist permanently inside that gap…military families. While they don’t join us in […]

The Other Reasons #2: Arne Smith

This is the second post in an indefinite series. Everyone knows that 9/11 was the horrible mechanism that initiated our descent into a war fought by a small subset of Americans. But how well do you know the men and women who have joined the fight? Do you imagine they are wildly different from you? […]

Artist Profile: Capt. CJ Baumann (USMC)

If asked to describe the Marine Corps in a few words, it’s unlikely many civilians would use the term “Patron of the Arts”. So, it may come as a surprise that the Corps, through it’s National Museum, helps support a Combat Artist program to allow talented artists (active, reserve, and retired) to document its history […]

The Other Reasons #1: Keith Dow

This is the first post in an indefinite series. Everyone knows that 9/11 was the horrible mechanism that initiated our descent into a war fought by a small subset of Americans. But how well do you know the men and women who have joined the fight? Do you imagine they are wildly different from you? […]

Wednesday Links: Read about cool things

Syracuse University has opened up a Veteran Writing competition: “In keeping with Syracuse University’s longstanding commitment to serving the interests of veterans and their families and recognizing the role a university press can play in giving voice to emerging writers, Syracuse University Press, in cooperation with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), has […]

Wednesday Links: Read this stuff

While we’re really proud of the work the Talk-On has posted so far, we also know that there are many other places doing important work that can support our mission. Every Wednesday, we’ll post the best links we can find that help challenge your perspectives and bridge the cultural gap between Mil/Vets and Civilians, and […]

Buried Alive

Editor’s Note: The following essay was co-authored by Mike Gnoffo and Zack Neyman, and told from Zack’s perspective as a Marine Lance Corporal and Radio Operator on a shared deployment to Afghanistan in 2013-2014. —- Helmand province is covered in moon dust. I first encountered it when our transport helicopter dropped us into a remote […]

The Other Reasons (Intro)

All of these stories from the Global War on Terror invariably lead back to that Tuesday in September. I was a sophomore in high school and I was sitting in math class. A teacher walked in suddenly from the neighboring classroom carrying a disbelieving smirk on his face. Not the inappropriate kind, just the face […]