John Black

John Black

John Black is a retired Special Forces "Green Beret" with more than 20 years of experience in the military at both 5th SFG(A) and 3rd SFG(A). Additionally, he has ten combat deployments in places such as Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and countries throughout Africa. He has a degree in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis and is currently working on his Masters.

Identity Versus Personality in and out of the Military

This piece will focus on the identity categories of age and social status. I believe that these two categories coincide in the military: the expectation is that in order to achieve one of them, you must have the other. The military has a very fixed structure and a distinction between the officer and enlisted ranks. […]

My Woobie, My Best Friend

The woobie has been the infantryman’s indispensable companion since Vietnam, and is now also used widely by civilians.

Invading Iraq Naked John Black Style

There I was, on the border of Iraq, butt naked, struggling to get a new belt on our Bradley, while rockets and artillery lighted up the sky.