Benjamin Franklin once said, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." But I would say, "Do both!" Live well, write about it, and write it well. Life in today's military certainly takes care of the "worth writing" part of Franklin's advice by providing us a broad, rich array of worthy experiences and ideas, worthy of living, but also worthy of reading, documenting, discussing, and—above all—publishing.
Much as the sea has been the inspiration for many writers—poets, novelists, journalists, even scientists—our military profession itself is a sea of inspiration. It is ever-changing, nearly boundless, often Hollywood-style exciting, and begs to be interpreted, presented, and debated. Indeed, we already have a well-established literary heritage, from purist strategy and tactics to fiction and even science fiction, but each of us has a role to play in continuing and improving on this heritage.
And it has never been easier to get started. All you need are some ideas you care about and pen and paper . . . or more likely, just a keyboard.
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