I wasn't writing home. I wasn't writing a death letter, either. I was writing a death journal, a piece of fiction meant for my family and my fiancee, Sara.

Most likely, they were writing the same type of macho bullshit that I wrote, trying to sound tough with their words in case words were all that made it home.

Unfortunately, just like bullets, you can never get words back once they have been sent out into the world.

War becomes a part of you. It is a feeling just as much as an experience. If you can’t feel it, you weren’t paying attention. And if you weren’t paying attention, you are probably dead anyway.

I was enjoying the great human trophy hunt and, looking back, it scares the hell out of me

I wanted to see my family, but didn't want to leave the other guys. The people waiting for us were strangers, even though I knew every last one of them.

No matter what the reason, the ways I tried to justify the situation, the second-guessing that lingered, nothing could change the fact that people stopped existing because of me.

Who supports the troops? The troops support the troops.

I wanted people to know that we fired rounds into moving trucks and open windows to survive, not for anyone else’s freedom. Not for the Democrats. Not for Republicans. Just to survive.

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.

Truth for him was a moving target he never aimed for the bull and rarely pierced the outer ring.

Some colored people so scared of whitefolks they claim to love the cotton gin.

Words are feminine; deeds are masculine.

It's the rare book that's able to transport you in a way that a movie does.

Demon or angel or evil spirit, I just need something to show itself. Ghoulie or ghosty or long-legged beastie, I just want my hand held.

I wanted to be involved with fashion, though I didn't know what being a designer meant.

Proactively, and creatively, persist - day in and day out.

If you are building a culture where honest expectations are communicated and peer accountability is the norm, then the group will address poor performance and attitudes.

Linux is only free if your time has no value.