Here you go

This is my blog.

I write about the military, culture, and military culture, among other things.

I suppose this blog is my public notebook, where I post various things I find in public records and elsewhere (like the recesses of my mind?). Want me to write for you? Email me to book a call.

‘Ignore and Play On’: Navy training documents tell eSports team not to feed the trolls

A photo of a young man with green headphones on sitting at a keyboard and smiling at the camera, while to his right and left people are playing video games at computer stations.

James Cockrill, a Navy recruit, plays "Valorant" against the Navy esports team, Goats & Glory, at an esports event during Kansas City Navy Week, June 29, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Williamson)

Navy documents, obtained under FOIA, reveal the service’s strategy for dealing with users trolling its eSports team on streaming services.

Two Green Berets wounded in 2019 Niger blast

Nigerien troops in first aid during Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger. (Kulani Lakanaria/U.S. Army)

Awards records obtained under FOIA show the American soldiers were wounded in a June 2019 roadside bomb attack near a Nigerien weapons range, though officials initially said no one was harmed.

Here are 10 of my favorite Instagram photos.

A group of men share a motorcycle south of Irbil, Iraq, on Dec. 23, 2016.

These are my top 10 photos of my reporting trips or other excursions posted to my Instagram accounts @chadgarland and @garland.chad.

Revealing a Green Beret’s heroism on a Somali battlefield

U.S. forces practice convoy training with the Danab Brigade and the Kenya Defense Force (KDF) in Somalia, May 22, 2021. Special Operations Command Africa remains engaged with partner forces in Somalia in order to promote safety and stability across the Horn of Africa. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Zoe Russell)

Green Beret William Doyle is an impressive guy, to be sure. This week we got a glimpse of his combat leadership in a little-known battle in Somalia six years ago, thanks to FOIA records.

Hey look, I totally have a website now. Check it out.

AT SEA - The view through the gun sights of a .50-caliber machine gun during a gunnery exercise onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. (Kip Wadlow/U.S. Coast Guard)

‘Ready, fire, AIM!’ A quick introduction to me and this blog, which is a bit … random right now. You’ll get to know me a bit, anyway.

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