The Lubyanka building (former KGB headquarters) in Moscow, where Stashinsky received his orders from. Photo by Alexander Savin / CC BY-SA 3.0. In the fall of 1961, Bogdan (or Bohdan) Stashinsky made a bold and perilous escape to West Germany, an act that would not only alter the course of his life but also send…
LISTEN HERE https://unitedmasters.com/m/war-machine 1. Where are you from originally? I’m from Hobart, Indiana. It’s a small town about an hour Southeast of Chicago. 2. How did you decide to enlist in the U.S. Army? I wanted more than what my hometown had to offer. I enlisted as combat engineer before becoming a Green Beret. I…
True prayer is not the pressing of our own desires upon God, but the yielding of our hearts to His will, where the Spirit plants deeper longings than we could ever name. —D. +++ The hardest thing is to let go of our own will. We cling to it, turning it over in our hands…
By Michael Kurcina Mike credits his early military training as the one thing that kept him disciplined through the many years. He currently provides his expertise as an adviser for an agency within the DoD. Michael Kurcina subscribes to the Spotter Up way of life. “I will either find a way or I will make…
WASP members Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leaving their plane, “Pistol Packin’ Mama”. The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) were a trailblazing group of women who made significant contributions to the United States’ efforts during World War II. Established in 1943, the WASP program brought together skilled female aviators who…
Lukewarm faith has become the norm, but the fire of ancient Christianity still burns—if we are but willing to bear its heat. —D. +++ What was once the heart’s natural heat has cooled, and we’ve grown used to the lukewarm—faith tempered, safe, manageable. We live in a time where Christianity is often worn like a…
Gawain unwittingly fights Yvain in the Garrett MS. No. 125 manuscript of Chrétien’s “Knight of the Lion” (c. 1295). The concept of the knight-errant is one of the most romanticized and enduring images of the Middle Ages. These wandering knights, often depicted in literature and folklore, roamed the countryside in search of adventure, justice, and honor. The…
Repentance is not about dwelling on our past failures, but about lifting our eyes towards God’s Love and stepping forward in trust, toward the new creation we are becoming through Christ’s grace. —D. +++ Repentance is not a matter of turning inward, measuring the distance between who we are and who we think we should…
The book “Doctor Zhivago” distributed throughout the Soviet Union by the CIA. Photo: Central Intelligence Agency. The story of the CIA’s involvement with Boris Pasternak’s novel, Doctor Zhivago, is a fascinating tale of Cold War intrigue and cultural diplomacy. During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged…
You are not your fleeting thoughts, shifting feelings, or past sins—you are the one Christ has named, the saint He has called His own. —D. +++ You are not the loose thoughts that drift like thistledown, nor the old hurts that settle in the marrow. You are not your failings, not the slip of the…