A Visit to Sacred Ground: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I stepped into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland today, a wandering soldier looking for the heart of a movement, and found myself on a profound trip down memory lane.

As I walked through the exhibits, I kept thinking about where this massive global phenomenon actually began.  If you ever visit the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi, you will see plaques on the walls from rock royalty like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.  They are all thanking the first blues artists for the music that laid the foundation for everything we hear today.

It all started right there in the Mississippi Delta cotton fields.  Enslaved people were given instruments to play, forced to entertain plantation owners and their neighbors at dinner parties and social events.  Over time, an amalgamation of the blues, country, and gospel gave rise to a thriving, undeniable beat that eventually energized a movement worldwide.

The Hall, as it's called here in Cleveland, serves as a stunning kaleidoscope of the diverse artists who grew from this uniquely American genre.  Walking its halls triggered a flood of personal memories, reminding me of when and where I have seen its legendary inductees perform over the years: hearing Joan Jett rock out in a small, sweaty dive bar in North Carolina, watching Little Feat bring the house down at the historic Ryman Auditorium, and witnessing the legendary Bruce Springsteen command the stage twice.  Standing among a roaring crowd at a race track in Germany to see the Rolling Stones.

Then, I reached one final exhibit that stopped me in my tracks.  A video screen showed Tom Petty and Prince playing together—two icons I never had the chance to see live in my travels.  Prince was delivering a guitar solo so indescribably beautiful it felt otherworldly.  Looking at the screen, I felt a sudden pang of being cheated, knowing I would never get to witness that dual magic in person.

Petty later summarized the jaw-dropping display by simply saying, "He just burned it up." You can watch the full remastered performance on the Rock Hall's YouTube Channel to re-live the magic anytime you want. 

Ultimately, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an incredible, moving experience.  It is an absolute pilgrimage that any true lover of rock and roll music must make.

Flight of the Phoenix: A Wandering Soldier Returns to the National Museum of the US Air Force

DAYTON, Ohio — Stepping into the National Museum of the United States Air Force this week felt like stepping into a time machine. As the Wandering Soldier, my travels have taken me to many museums, but returning here for the first time since 1998 was a deeply personal homecoming. The sheer physical growth of this aviation mecca over the last nearly three decades is staggering. The addition of the massive 224,000-square-foot fourth building has completely transformed the footprint, turning what was already a world-class collection into an absolute titan of aerospace history.

The absolute highlight of my return was the rare privilege of walking through the cockpits of two legendary giants: the B-29 Superfortress and the B-52 Stratofortress. As I stood inside them, the stark generational leap in technology was mesmerizing. The B-29, a marvel of World War II, felt raw and mechanical. Moving into the B-52, however, revealed a massive leap forward in complexity and engineering. The rows of advanced gauges, switches, and early electronic warfare stations showed a whole new era of global reach. Amidst all that devastating Cold War power, one human detail caught my eye and made me smile: a built-in coffee pot right there in the B-52 cockpit. It was a poignant reminder of the grueling, marathon missions these crews endured.

Seeing these cockpits up close brought back a flood of memories from the 1980s, when I took a few flying lessons. I learned firsthand back then that keeping an aircraft in the sky is an unforgiving, complex discipline. Looking at these massive bombers, my respect for the pilots who tamed them doubled.

It also stirred up one of my genuine regrets in life. Due to financial constraints at the time, I discontinued my lessons and did not complete my pilot's license. Standing beneath those wings, that old ache returned. Yet, looking out at the sprawling, expanded museum, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. I may not have earned my wings, but as a soldier, walking through these living legends allowed me to touch the sky one more time.

The museum has grown to match that ambition. The exhibits are no longer just rows of planes; they are masterfully curated stories of survival, engineering triumphs, and technological leaps. For a Wandering Soldier who understands just a fraction of what it takes to leave the ground, this return trip was a humbling reminder that the sky is never truly conquered—it is merely negotiated with, by the very best of us.

A Wandering Soldier Finds Unexpected Adventure in his Hometown

Clarksville, TN - For years, I've been a wandering soldier, deployed overseas, traveling as a contractor, and now traveling for recreation. Using Clarksville as a quiet, unchanging place, as our home base. I have been visiting new places around town recently. It has felt like I was stepping into a completely new world. It is proof that new adventures await around every corner.

My reconnaissance led me to a cluster of new businesses I barely recognized. Walking into "Firepot Korean Barbecue and Hot Pot" gave me an eye-opening glimpse into our changing city. The sheer scale of the restaurant's buffets blew me away. Rows of metal trays filled with noodles, fried rice, and savory chicken dishes. The industrial expansion has completely transformed our local culinary scene.

The quiet streets I settled in are bustling with new construction. Clarksville is really coming up in the world, largely thanks to the massive Samsung and Hankook factories that recently opened in our industrial park. With these massive companies came a wave of Korean managers and engineers, and thankfully, they brought their incredible food culture with them. Intrigued by the changes in my own backyard, I set out to explore these new experiences.

But the main objective for the day was trying something totally new to me: Korean Hot Pot. We grabbed a table equipped with its own integrated induction burner. I sat back and watched as my dining companion showed me the ropes, expertly snipping fresh ingredients into the simmering broth with scissors.

Learning the local techniques: using scissors to prep ingredients for the bubbling, spicy broth. The fiery red broth was rich and complex, making a perfect base for our meal. I loaded up my plate with a beautifully glazed pork rib and some massive shrimp to enjoy on the side. The perfect combo: A pot of bubbling stew right next to my plate of expertly grilled pork ribs and large shrimp. Our raw ingredients are ready to be cooked at the table.

For the main event, we had an incredible spread of fresh ingredients to cook in the broth, including a huge variety of seafood, clams, squid, and lotus root. Cooking it all right in front of us made the whole experience feel interactive and exotic, yet firmly rooted in the modern town that Clarksville is quickly becoming. The food was, without a doubt, unbelievably good.

I'm already planning my next mission back here. Next time we go, we are definitely getting the Korean BBQ so we can grill our own meat right at the table. Who knew that after traveling the world, some of my favorite adventures would be waiting for me right down the street?