Hawkstorm Global

03/10/2025

Duty. Honor. Service. 🦅🔱🇺🇸

I was talking to a fellow veteran recently about how many people who have served their country fail to realize just how much you know and have learned during your years of service. Whether you stood the watch on the Bridge of a Navy Warship in the dead of night or jumped in behind enemy lines to conduct a raid, the work, training, experience, and most importantly the intangible things you develop over a career such as honor, leadership, and dedication to the mission/team, is invaluable when you choose to leave and join the civilian world.

For me, starting Hawkstorm Global was my answer to the continued call to service after 20 years of training, deploying, and working in some of the most dangerous locations around the world.

For my brothers and sisters thinking of getting out: your life still has great value and purpose! You just have to seek out ways to serve in a new way.

For my fellow citizens, if you see someone wearing a veteran hat or shirt, maybe they limp a little or have a few scars, or maybe they seem pretty intense and you don’t understand why…take a second to remember that the things we see over a career of serving this nation are things most human beings never have to experience - and we are honored to do it so you don’t have to.

Fire it up and remember to NEVER quit! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

10/28/2024

God made us to become servants and warriors for Him… 🙏💫✨🕊️✝️ 2 Timothy 2:1-4

One of the biggest challenges you will face if you make your faith known and a centerpiece of your life is unquestionably going to be this: people will IMMEDIATELY begin to focus on your flaws and will emphasize them above all else, especially if they have a personal problem with you.

You’ll hear things like “you preach but don’t fully live up to it!”

Correct. 100%.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is “The Heroes of the Faith” chapter, Hebrews Chapter 11. In that chapter it begins with a definition of faith and ends with a list of heroes God used to be champions for Him.

Want to know what they ALL have in common?

They are ALL flawed sinners with a track record of falling down and not “living up to God’s standard.”

You want to know what else they ALL have in common?

They all got up, dusted themselves off, and had the FAITH to trust God to use them to serve DESPITE their flaws and failures.

So on this Sunday morning I want to offer you a reminder: never let anyone convince you that God can’t use you because of your “flaws” - God will use you DESPITE your flaws if you trust Him to do so.

Be strong, love with all your heart, be ready to forgive, get back up every time you fall down, and use faith as the basis of your power and might to serve as the warrior you are made to be… 💪🙏✝️

Hebrews 11:32-34 KJV

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.“

08/31/2022

The meaning of The Phoenix…I’ve got a lot of DMs asking more about the Phoenix tattoo and the inspiration. I’ll do a reel on it sometime, but essentially it’s from a teaching of my dad reminding me when I was younger to “ALWAYS get back up no matter how many times you get knocked down.” Life is hard and things don’t always work out the way you want, but remember this: God ALWAYS has your best interest in mind and any hardships you face are part of your training and preparation to fulfill your destiny….if you have the courage to follow it. Stay strong and keep the faith my friends. 🦅🔥✨🇺🇸

07/18/2022

New Art: Rise of the Phoenix! Tomorrow marks 8 years since my brother Talon and I sat and held my dad’s hand while he went on to be with the Lord. This new tattoo is a memorial for me to him and his teachings and memory. From the time we were kids he taught us to ALWAYS get up no matter how many times we are knocked down and fight on no matter the odds - rising from the ashes if necessary, just like the mythology of the Phoenix. The artist .eleazar.tattoos did an amazing job yesterday bringing my vision to life and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. It’s been 23 years since my last ones I got done in Singapore while on yet another WESTPAC deployment (my Navy and Marine Corps brothers and sisters will know all about this!). The artwork couldn’t have turned out any better…what do you guys think of it? 🦅🔥✨

06/08/2022

Top Gun: Maverick! Okay, so y’all know I’ve seen the movie a few times now, but my mom asked me to go with her last Friday…so there I was again! And, when mom calls, you go. But, I also wanted to give some backstory: when I was in High School, I already knew what I wanted to do: I wanted to go to the Naval Academy and become the best warrior and leader I could be…and mom was always right there, encouraging me and doing everything she could to help. She helped me with the Application process, drove me to my interview with the Congressional panel who made the selections out of the top candidates, and just always stood by me. No one from the little country town I grew up in had ever been to the Naval Academy and even my high school counselor tried to dissuade me saying, “kids from little country towns like this just don’t go to schools like that…maybe you should try something more realistic like the U of I?” To which I replied, “well ma’am, we’ll just see about that.” To this day I’m the only one to ever go from there and also graduate. Anyhow, it was super fun to watch it with her and the movie brings back a lot of memories from my career in the Navy and beyond. So, thank you mom for always believing in me…the journey is far from over and a new chapter is just beginning! By the way, the movie really is amazing…bravo to Tom Cruise and the whole crew who brought this film to life! 🦅🔱🇺🇸

03/07/2022

War in Ukraine: I’ve been getting a lot of DMs asking my opinion on the war so I wanted to make a brief statement here with a video to follow as soon as I can. Essentially, my view is simple - no matter what you think about “cover ups, corruption, and conspiracies,” the simple fact is that Putin instigated unjust aggression towards a sovereign nation and do you know who primarily is paying the price? The everyday people of Ukraine. Be cautious about accepting counter-intelligence “facts” floating around out there. Is there more going on than meets the eye? Absolutely. Is there corruption in the Ukrainian government? Of course, just as there is within our American government. Newsflash for you…having corruption in your government is DOES NOT remove a nation or a peoples right to self-defense. I’ve had access over the years to the highest levels of Intelligence and information and am very aware of the games that get played so spare me any discussion about how this is all just propaganda. I KNOW HOW THE GAME WORKS. I have personal friends who are from the Ukraine and their families and communities are being devastated by the attack - never forget the human cost going on no matter what you think about the geopolitical chess match being played. Take note and use this as a reminder that freedom is always one step away from being lost forever. Stay ready and stay vigilant my friends. Prayers to those on the front lines tonight. 🦅⚔️🇺🇸🇺🇦

02/26/2022

“The Ghost of Kyiv,” the Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Ace who started off day one of the war with 6 air-to-air kills is the perfect example of why we train and stay ready and more importantly, how the fighting spirit of one warrior can make a massive difference. Never underestimate what one person’s resolve can do! For those called to fight, we have a responsibility to stay fit and keep our skills sharp for the day we are needed. Freedom is not free and is always in danger of being lost…this should be abundantly clear from the headlines each and every day. It is absolutely possible that this situation spirals and we all find ourselves in the next “war to end all wars.” Stay ready, stay vigilant, and pray for those on the front lines today fighting to remain free. Go get ‘em brother! 🦅⚔️🇺🇸🇺🇦

02/12/2022

The Art of War: Martial Arts as a pathway to creating the warrior mind. It is no accident that if you look at the most legendary military units in history (the Spartans, the Samurai, etc.) they ALL have unarmed combat training as a central part of the development of the individual warrior. Modern fi****ms have turned most warriors of today into “gunslingers” because clearly that is effective and necessary in today’s warfare. However, the best still incorporate martial arts into their training. In this video I had just finished an hour of throwing around the iron so I decided to just put in a couple rounds of throwing bombs (max power strikes). It is a good way to train your neurological system to muster whatever strength you have left under fatigue and use it to hit as hard as you can. Technique + Strength + Physiology (being “heavy handed, etc.) + FOLLOW THROUGH is the equation for maximum power in striking. That said, learning to dig deep mentally and focus all your energy into your strikes UNDER FATIGUE is critical to fighting and defending yourself. The crossover is readily apparent too: maybe you need to sprint up a flight of stairs to go on the offense against an adversary shooting at you and your team, or maybe you are tired out but need to harness your aggression to quickly move to a position of cover to return fire. Proper physical and martial arts training can translate to effective tactics in other arenas. The beauty is, this is also true of life…sometimes you just have to steel your mind to weather the storm and prepare to counter attack. This lesson is not meant to understood in only one way. Free your mind, and remember: never quit. 👊🥋🙏🇺🇸

11/05/2021

Was great to see fellow Naval Academy grad Chris Cassidy () and hear him and Charlotte Jones talk about the incredible Medal of Honor Foundation Museum being built in Arlington right near Cowboy’s Stadium. Chris is overseeing the project and it will be not only an amazing tribute to American heroes, but also a place where people can go and be immersed in the core values of honor, courage, and commitment to something greater than ourselves. You can also catch Chris in the Disney Plus special “Among the Stars,” which documents his last mission into space. Honored to know and have served with so many great men and women who walked the halls of Bancroft Hall at USNA and then went on to serve our nation with honor. Go Navy! 🦅🔱🇺🇸

08/25/2021

The Samurai Code was developed over centuries of war in the Prefectures of Japan and was central to their success on the field of battle. American forces integrated parts of this and other warrior traditions to become what we are today. For my brothers and sisters at arms: your service, sacrifice, and dedication to duty is not in vain, no matter what is unfolding in the world around us. Stand strong and trust that your training and experience has and will always have innate and great value. The God of the Universe has a plan and will not allow evil to win in the end: trust that truth. Continue to train, study, and push yourself for the day will come when you will be needed again to fight the good fight and help ensure freedom wins.
Psalm 144:1 KJV
“Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” 🦅🔱🇺🇸

09/24/2018

Thank you to D Magazine for the great article today!

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