Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Serve.

Launch on Warning: A Novella (Pt 4)
NOVEMBER 11 OSCAR-01 0633 HOURS LOCAL 1233 HOURS ZULU Howe rose early, his head finally feeling somewhat better. Olerud had re-bandaged it last night, and a couple of tranks had kept the guilty nightmares at bay. All he could remember was a dream of a pleasant summer stroll to the Stave Church in Minot, holding hands with Sheree, while Dotty chased birds and chattered incessantly.
By Grant Patterson7 years ago in Serve
Launch on Warning: A Novella (Pt 5)
48.24.57 N 101.21.29 W 1510 HOURS LOCAL 2110 HOURS ZULU The sun was weak and low in the sky by the time they began to pass the first smashed and burned buildings on the base grounds. Howe could see the elementary school they were going to send Dotty off to next year in the distance, its roof smashed in as if by a petulant giant, its playground warped and twisted.
By Grant Patterson7 years ago in Serve
Launch on Warning: A Novella (Pt 3)
48.24.57 N 101.21.29 W 1211 HOURS LOCAL 1811 HOURS ZULU Most people living in and around Minot AFB heard the sirens. Some more attentive and knowledgeable residents, like the off-duty crews, might have seen the B-52s and KC-135s doing emergency starts off the alert pads with black, smoky roars, and firing into the air, headed for Russia. If not, they heard the Emergency Broadcast System cut off their TV program with its high-pitched wail of doom. But there was no time to do a damned thing about it.
By Grant Patterson7 years ago in Serve
Launch on Warning: A Novella (Pt 2)
THE KREMLIN CONFERENCE ROOM 2035 HOURS LOCAL 1735 HOURS ZULU The old men filed out of the conference room into the hallway. Veterans of Stalin’s time, their circadian rhythms permanently shifted as a result of years of late-night meetings, they were not used to concluding so quickly.
By Grant Patterson7 years ago in Serve
'Launch on Warning': A Novella
NOVEMBER 9 48.49.28 N 101.16.55 W 0735 HOURS LOCAL 1335 HOURS ZULU The blue pickup sped down the featureless road, past the billiard-table flat farms, full of stupefied, staring cattle, leaning against the harsh wind.
By Grant Patterson7 years ago in Serve
Growing Together While Apart: Military Spouse Tips
Signing up as a military spouse is one of the toughest things you will ever do. When you say "I do" and your service member takes the oath, you are promising to always put your country first, learn to overcome your emotions alone, and to live anywhere in the world without a say. This is not a job for the weak, but there are some tips that can help you stay strong and muster through. Here are ten survival tips for military spouses.
By Mia Morales7 years ago in Serve
10 Military and Veterans Organizations You Can Donate To
With thousands upon thousands of men and women in the military fighting for the safety and freedom of the United States, we must stop and take the time to express gratitude for their sacrifices. Beyond taking time on days like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Veteran's Day to remember and thank service members, you may find yourself wishing to support active military troops and veterans in other ways.
By Wendy Knight7 years ago in Serve
Reason First: Semper Fidelis, Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand once wrote that it was either “fate or irony... to be born, of all countries on Earth in the one least suitable for a fanatic of individualism, Russia.” My story is the direct opposite. Call it emphasizing the obvious that a fierce egoist like myself was born in the capital of the First State on an Air Force base in the United States of America. And that was just the beginning. By choice, I chose to serve in the United States Marine Corps. To take those polar opposites together, one must know that no unknown or unknowable was involved in Miss Rand’s birth or my own. She chose to come to America to facilitate her life as a rationally selfish human being. I decided to become a Marine because I wanted to not become human chattel.
By Skyler Saunders7 years ago in Serve
Sh!tting Tactically 101
Subscribe to my local Vocal page to get notifications on the latest postings to podcasts. So what do you do when nature calls and you are in a combat zone? In combat, you have to shit tactically. What I mean is... if you don't have to go... you need to force it and go. Any break you get... there a few things you have to ask yourself.
By Vagabond Bundy7 years ago in Serve
7-007-70 (Part 5)
Every country has its traitors and spies. In the UK, Philby, Burgess, and Blunt are some of the better-known names of the past century. Russia has had many. Israel too has had its share. I have no wish to name them, and give them coverage, even though they are known to all. One of them still capitalises financially, because of his treasonous actions. Traitors turn against their own countries mainly for financial gain. Some will claim ideological reasons. Others assume an adopted persona, and live under the guise they develop. They may be dormant for years, like a sleeper cell, while they work their way into sensitive and useful employment, or develop a social status. Wolfgang Lotz was a prime example of someone who had created a social status that became very productive for Israeli intelligence. If they are acting against their country of birth, it is treasonous. If for another country, they are spies.
By P J7 years ago in Serve
Translating Your Military Career to a Resume
Okay, you’ve made the decision that it’s time to transition from military service and start a new adventure in the “civilian world,” but how do you translate your military career into a language and skill set that is clear and understandable to prospective employers?
By Julia Nex7 years ago in Serve
7-007-70 (Part 4)
A butterfly passes through several stages in its development. Egg, caterpillar, pupa, and finally a butterfly. I was soon to undergo a similar metamorphosis. My military days were coming to an end, and my past would not be part of my future. It would be wiped clean.
By P J7 years ago in Serve