by Antonio Yacono Growing up in a military family, I found it hard to make friends. Some military families move constantly. Luckily, I only moved twice while I was in school. I started elementary school in Okinawa and moved to …
One Wrong Turn
by Jennifer Valk, PPCC English Instructor Jennifer Valk is an English instructor at PPCC. She served on active duty as a combat medical specialist from 1998-2005 t in Fort Hood, TX, and then at Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, …
Thanksgiving at a Missile Silo in the Middle of Montana
by Carrie Spencer, PPCC History Faculty I must have been really young and naïve to think taking two small boys out to a missile silo in the middle of Montana for Thanksgiving dinner was a good idea. It was already …
The Things He Carries: An Interview with PPCC ME Dean Joe Southcott
by Dana Zimbleman In late October, I sat down with PPCC Math and English Dean and retired Army Colonel Joseph Southcott, who discussed his military service and why he carries 16 names with him every single day. DZ: The first …
The Bayonet: A Family Military History Journey
by Angelo DeCecco with contributions from Paul DeCecco All families share stories which are intriguing, perhaps true but always alluring, about their shared past. One family story that intrigued me as a boy was of my two grandfathers who were …
ETS by Eric Stephenson
It took years to dislodge the hatesearing my brain and every limb,like a tree burning in a firestorm.I’m charred but still standing,waiting for the rains of spring. ☼☼☼
Mindfulness by Gina Swanson
The night I met Airman Leonard Reh was his last on earth. He died 25 years ago this fall. His death is tragic and the basis for some of my own struggles still to this day. I was a brand …
History in the Closet: The Stories Behind Old Family Photos by Caleb Hatch
Staring at the old photos that I had, until recently not known had existed, I felt as if I was taken back 70 years. For the first time ever, history felt relevant to me, and the mystery of my family’s …