Foxhole Friday: Vol. 6

Make America One Again
Celebrating 249 years of freedom—and eight years of Hook & Barrel

Happy Birthday, America! And cheers to Hook & Barrel—eight years strong. While we celebrate, I want to share something from the heart: America has always been great.

There’s no need to “make it great again.” That slogan may fit nicely on a hat, but repeating it doesn’t make it gospel. In fact, that mentality often does more to divide than unite.

Right now, I see three teams in this country:

1. The team that thinks America isn’t great and blames “the other side.”

2. The team that sees no problem and blames the folks who do.

3. And then there’s my team: the one burned out by it all, dreaming of, as Blake Shelton put it, “some beach... somewhere.”

Is any of that healthy? Not for a second.

When I was a kid, my mom used to say, “I will always love you, but right now, I don’t like you.” That stuck with me. Because love is deeper than a moment. And America, like family, deserves our love, even when we don’t like what’s going on. Democrat or republican.

This country made me the man I am. It gave me every opportunity I’ve had. Taught me resilience. Fueled my work ethic. Made optimism a habit and made achievement something to be proud of.

And no one says it better than Lee Greenwood:

“If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life, And I had to start again with just my children and my wife, I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today, ’Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away…”

If you had the chance to do it all again, would you still choose America? Would you still stand up for her—even when you don’t love everything she’s doing? I would—every time.

He goes on to sing:

“From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee, Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea, From Detroit down to Houston and New York to L.A….”

We are all in this great American experiment together, and together we either win or lose—the choice is ours.

This Independence Day, take a moment to understand your neighbor. Sit across from someone you disagree with and listen—really listen. Because, as we say in the Pledge of Allegiance:

“One nation. Under God. Indivisible.’ The only way we fall is if we let them divide us.

God Bless America.
John J. Radzwilla
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Don’t forget who you are!
from Talon Smith
Chief Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman, Owner L3 HYROX

This message is short and sweet today. While we are all on very different journeys, we all share one thing in common. We want to better ourselves, maintain our health and stay functional throughout our lifetime.

While life is full of mountains and valleys there is one important thing for us to always remember. That is who we are and where we came from.

We all had different upbringings, and different life experiences and are even in different phases of our life, I think it’s important to remember that we bring value in this world and all the challenges we have overcome have helped us become who we are. The good and the bad. It’s made us strong, resilient, disciplined, kind and supportive.

Remembering who you are, and what you’ve done is important because in a society that focuses on materialistic objects as the definition of success, it can be easy to allow that to overshadow what’s truly important and that’s your character and your journey.

I’ve struggled with this in the past and I’ve been better about reminding myself just how far I’ve come and set my eyes on where I am going. That I do bring value to the world, and where I have been has helped me become someone I can be proud of.

So when life becomes slightly overwhelming, remembering who you are and where you came from can be powerful. It can give you something to reflect upon and brighten your day, seeing just how far you have come and the character you’ve developed from all your life experiences.

What are we reading?

Behind the Badge by Johnny Joey Jones

Johnny Joey Jones' "Behind the Badge" highlights the sacrifices of first responders through vivid storytelling. Released June 17, 2025, it explores their courage and challenges, drawing from Jones' personal connections.