Twenty-five years ago, I began keeping a daily Journal. Recovering from a divorce that left me in total consternation, I realized I needed to make some changes in my life. I was determined to help myself overcome the sadness and fears that had accompanied the divorce, and with some help, realized I needed to make significant changes in my priorities and behaviors. To monitor the progress of these changes, my daily journal was a contemplation of each day's activities. I paid attention to what I was doing each day, and why I was doing it some of the time. These 25 years of journals are full of less than earth-shattering details, but they helped me become a less reactive and a more reflective man. Keeping the journal has been beneficial, but has often made me wish I had started the effort earlier, particularly during the most formative period of my life, my time as a soldier. Accordingly, this book began to take shape A Soldier's Journal.