Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

How to talk to a vet

It has come to this: Alex Horton, who gives a hoot, has written a piece on his VA blog about how to talk to a veteran without insulting him or pissing him off. The whole piece is worth reading, but here are his basic five Dos and three Don’ts : 1. Do: Ask About Our ...

The U.S. Army/Flickr
The U.S. Army/Flickr
The U.S. Army/Flickr

It has come to this: Alex Horton, who gives a hoot, has written a piece on his VA blog about how to talk to a veteran without insulting him or pissing him off.

The whole piece is worth reading, but here are his basic five Dos and three Don'ts :

1. Do: Ask About Our Buddies

It has come to this: Alex Horton, who gives a hoot, has written a piece on his VA blog about how to talk to a veteran without insulting him or pissing him off.

The whole piece is worth reading, but here are his basic five Dos and three Don’ts :

1. Do: Ask About Our Buddies

2. Do: Listen

3. Do: Try To Learn Something

4. Do: Have an Open Mind

5. Don’t: Talk Politics

6. Don’t: Be Cavalier with Questions. (Especially that old favorite about how many people you killed.)

7. Don’t: Assume Everyone Is Crippled With PTSD

8. Do: Something

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tag: Military

Trending

  1. 1
    Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
  2. 2
    Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
  3. 3
    What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
  4. 4
    How AMLO Has Fueled Mexico’s Drug War
  5. 5
    China’s Third Aircraft Carrier Is Aimed at a Post-U.S. Asia
Latest Analysis

Here’s How to Help Ukraine Handle Putin’s Food Blockade
Daniel B. Baer, Oleksandra Betliy

U.S. Aid to Saudi Arabia on Missile Defense Is Not Unconditional 
Bilal Y. Saab

Europe on the Edges
Robert D. Kaplan

More from Foreign Policy

A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.
A worker cuts the nose off the last Ukraine's Tupolev-22M3, the Soviet-made strategic aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons at a military base in Poltava, Ukraine on Jan. 27, 2006. A total of 60 aircraft were destroyed according to the USA-Ukrainian disarmament agreement.

Why Do People Hate Realism So Much?

The school of thought doesn’t explain everything—but its proponents foresaw the potential for conflict over Ukraine long before it erupted.

Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.
Employees watch a cargo ship at a port in China, which is experiencing an economic downturn.

China’s Crisis of Confidence

What if, instead of being a competitor, China can no longer afford to compete at all?

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies in the U.S. Senate in Washington on Sept. 24, 2020.

Why This Global Economic Crisis Is Different

This is the first time since World War II that there may be no cooperative way out.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang applaud at the closing session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11.

China Is Hardening Itself for Economic War

Beijing is trying to close economic vulnerabilities out of fear of U.S. containment.

Trending

  1. Roe Abolition Makes U.S. a Global Outlier
    Infographic |
    FP Staff

  2. Will the Kaliningrad Crisis Lead to War?
    It's Debatable |
    Emma Ashford, Matthew Kroenig

  3. What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
    Analysis |
    Amy Mackinnon

  4. How AMLO Has Fueled Mexico’s Drug War
    Dispatch |
    Jared Olson

  5. China’s Third Aircraft Carrier Is Aimed at a Post-U.S. Asia
    Analysis |
    Sam Roggeveen
Latest

From Pushkin to Putin: Russian Literature’s Imperial Ideology

Nepal’s Big EV Bet

Afghans Battle Another Blow After Big Earthquake

What in the World?

Japan Is Getting Real on Security After Ukraine
See All Stories