Author: Dempsey Darrow

Dempsey is a 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point who was privileged to attend and subsequently graduate from the United States Army Ranger School while still a cadet in 1973. After completing the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning he was again privileged to become a Black Hat Jump and Jumpmaster Instructor. He served as Fort Benning's Infantry School Liaison to Fort Hood's TRADOC Combined Arms Test Activity (TCATA) where he was a member of the five man team that tested the target mechanisms and procedures which would become the heart of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin. Skilled in multiple computer disciplines, Dempsey subsequently spent three decades as a software developer and programmer on IBM and plug compatible mainframes, as well as on UNIX and Linux platforms.
Days Gone By, Extraordinarily Random

“I’m so cold…so cold…”

Dempsey Darrow

I wrote the following post to my class West Point discussion list a while ago. Tonight was Ah-nulled Schwarzenegger night at the movies. I watched Conan the Barbarian since I hadn't seen it in quite a while. The film about Robert E. Howard's timeless character was filmed in Spain, some 16 years after Clint Eastwood's initial dabbling with… Continue reading “I’m so cold…so cold…”

Days Gone By, Military

There’s Something Wrong with My Neck

Dempsey Darrow

When I first heard, saw, or read, "MAGA", my thoughts immediately went elsewhere, outside of the political realm, where the word, "maga", was not an acronym, where it was half of the duo, "Krav Maga". The term is derived from the Hebrew words "krav", meaning combat, and "maga", meaning contact. Krav Maga is a gift… Continue reading There’s Something Wrong with My Neck

Military, Smokepoles, Thank You for Your Service

The Assault Rifle Myth

Dempsey Darrow

An “Assault Weapon” is an item that’s used by the aggressor in an assault. Period. It can range from panty hose, to a baseball bat, to a flower vase, to a sharp instrument (knife, box cutter, etc.). Politically, this is the umbrella term for firearms so that they can be compartmentalized, implying that their removal… Continue reading The Assault Rifle Myth

Days Gone By

A Time for Change

Dempsey Darrow

A tale of purgatory. A scenario of transition. A true, short tale of a time between military active duty and the subsequent transition to civilian life. I’ve changed the names because…well…I’ve just changed the names. It made it easier to write. Rated R for language and sexual content. “Yo, Matt!” Matt Turner snatched the tossed… Continue reading A Time for Change

Days Gone By, Military, Thank You for Your Service

HOOAH!

Dempsey Darrow

The proudest - and most difficult - achievement of my life. “I woke up in a cold sweat, I had a nightmare that I was still in Ranger School. Thank God that I was in Vietnam. Compared to Ranger School, combat was easy.” ~ COL. Robert A. "Tex" Turner, Ranger Hall of Fame.