Essays & Articles
David Chrisinger's essays and articles published in various print publications as well as websites.
This Veteran Had Been in the Line of Fire for Years—But a Game of Go...
After four deployments to Iraq, this veteran nearly ended it all. What stopped him? The most ordinary diversion imaginable.
Losing the Fear That He Abandoned His Men
His essay made me feel bad for him, even pity him. And that’s not what Mike was looking for.
Guns, Booze, and Suicide: How ‘Stupid’ Saved a Life
I didn’t ask why he didn’t kill himself after golf—the next day or the day after. Maybe I should have.
Trapped in the Amber of This Moment
A week after my visit to the recruiter, I broke the news to my father while we were shooting hoops at the YMCA. I was nervous, so I blurted out that I wanted to joi...
The Redemptive Power of Lying
For the past six years, I’ve worked with hundreds of military veterans to help them tell their stories of war and coming home, and in that time I’ve heard lots ...
The Glory of Being a Soldier
It wasn’t until basic training that most new recruits met their first combat veterans. These men were real soldiers and Marines who had rotated back home to serve...