The Kopp-Etchells effect
nautil.us
nautil.us
I still read his posts every day, even though he's been pissing his life away in Thailand the last few years.
His posts and pictures from Iraq and Afghanistan were so poignant and heartfelt that...dunno, I can't even finish the sentence.
I would compare him to Ernie Pyle, but that just seems like a disservice to both.
I didn't see his original post linked anywhere - where he explains his naming of the Kopp-Etchells effect, so here it is: http://www.michaelyon-online.com/the-kopp-etchells-effect/pa...
He is writing another book - The Bomb Boys. And his daily output of articles, etc. is impressive (even if there is a sense of glory days about lots of them).
1) It seems like lots of ex-pats wander into Thailand and fade into the sunset.
2) He keeps talking about going back into the action (Korea, Syria, Libya back to Afghanistan, etc.), but never quite gets there.
Maybe I'm wrong? Who am I to judge?
Well worth a read to get a sense of the chaos and terror of urban combat. How fast it goes and how little time there is to make any kind of decision. You can see why training matters so much.