Charles van Heck
-
11 November, Part Two: Oath and Loyalty
On Tuesday, 30 September, the U.S. senior military leadership gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, to hear Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump deliver remarks. The meeting struck both civilian and military personnel as rather odd.… Continue reading
-
11 November, Part One: The Music of Memory
11 November has traditionally been a day of reflection for me. This is the day I pause to remember the end of the First World War, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Three classical music… Continue reading
-
Sundance and the Search for an Alternative Education
The arrival of autumn brings out the bookish aspect of my nature. The responsibilities for coursework found in freshly printed syllabi, the necessity of meeting a professor’s deadlines, revising lectures, and meeting new students have long passed for me. I… Continue reading
-
Random Thoughts: Gibson, Parkinson’s, Space Mirrors, Skunks, and Words
Thirty-seven years ago, on 15 October, Kirk Gibson stepped up to home plate in Dodger Stadium in Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics. He was suffering from a swollen, shredded ligament in his… Continue reading
-
Remembering Susan
I fell in love with her voice. A raspy voice, the type of voice that made me want to pull up a chair at the kitchen table. “Have some cranberry relish,” she might be saying, as she did every Thanksgiving.… Continue reading
-
The American Cyrus and the Week that Was
This week began on Monday with the release of Israeli hostages. Joy marred by loss, sorrow, the memories of those who were killed on 7 October, the Israeli soldiers wounded and killed in Gaza, the hostages returned earlier, and those… Continue reading
-
Fail Safe in an AI World
“Things are in the saddle and ride mankind.” Emerson This October 16th through the 28th marks the 63rd anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. For thirteen days, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. On the sixth day… Continue reading
-
Dilexi Te:The Invisible Among Us
The other evening, my wife arrived home with bags of groceries from the market that we will donate to a food bank for distribution. An act of kindness. A moral imperative. More importantly, an expression of love and faith. And… Continue reading
-
Diversity, Freedom and the Chorus for Union
Those who know me are aware that I firmly believe in the separation of Church and State. Christian nationalists irritate me with their bending and misinterpretation of the Gospels. They misconstrue the Constitution and misconceive their liberties to fit their… Continue reading
Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal 