Profiles in Havok

Angelo T. Robinson is an interdisciplinary artist and photographer who lives and works out of Senoia, GA. A self-taught artist, he joined the US Navy in 1992, where he served ten years active duty and four years in the Naval Reserves as a Seabee. Traveling to locales such as Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Africa, France, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Egypt, the Virgin Islands, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates greatly influenced Angelo’s approach to art. The vibrancy, diverse richness and simple beauty of the cultures he experienced are shown throughout his work.

His work exudes a level of spirituality and an organic connection with the human condition. This reflects his experiences growing up as the son and grandson of preachers. Angelo’s creations invite the viewer to participate in a physical, mental or spiritual dialogue with what they experience. Deep vibrant abstracts, joyous colorful mixed-media portraits, and majestic sports pieces are brought to life using vivid colors and bold compositions.

Yellowtub Creative

Steve Callahan is a writer, a poet and a former Marine infantryman. Bursting with creative efforts, Steve runs a poetry site, podcast, and is heavily involved in PB Abbate. As someone who separated from the Corps this past February, Steve’s writing about the Marines, his deployment to Helmand and the psychological peaks and valleys of an infantryman’s life feels very fresh and relevant. In fact, I find that Steve writes about the Marines in a very post-breakup sort of way – a kind of writing loaded with raw, tender-to-the-touch emotions. This is somewhat by design. Steve was a writer from an early age. Much like Jack Kerouac or George Orwell, Steve felt an innate compulsion to shuck the comfortable malaise of young writer for the constant discontent of an adventurer. In Steve’s case, that meant joining the Marine Corps. After a somewhat fulfilling, somewhat demoralizing six year stint, Steve now finds himself tackling his novel, his poetry and short stories with a renewed perspective and a greater understanding of humanity at the extremes. This was an incredibly enjoyable chat with a true artist whose stroll down a warrior’s path has left him a far more interesting writer and thinker.

The year-end wrap up with Havok Journal owner Charlie Faint, Editor-in-Chief Mike Warnock, and Marketing Manager Alyssa Sudermann.

Army combat veteran Christopher Soucy is an actor, puppeteer, director, screenwriter, and playwright living in Savannah, Georgia. He has been writing for stage and screen for over 20 years.

Read some of Chris' poetry on the Savage Wonder literary blog here.

Chris tweets here.

Follow Chris here.

It is important for veterans' experiential wisdom to, well, not die with them. Passing on the lessons learned - the best practices, the frank admissions, the abject failures - is crucial for both a civilian population that may not otherwise relate AND for the veteran population that does. So it would be a shame not to pick the brain of a man who has operated at the highest levels of the DoD, the most exotic assignments in the USG, and the most adventurous sectors of the private security industry. Dale Comstock is a lot more than the bullet points on his resume. That said, he has a lot of bullet points.

Dale served in 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force), 3rd Special Forces Group, and in the 82nd Airborne Division 325th Infantry. He also worked 9.5 years as a paramilitary operative for USG and concurrently worked as a contract security specialist, COO, Vice President, and President for various security companies applying his skills and knowledge on a myriad of security challenges around the world. He has been decorated twice for Valor in combat and is also the famed breacher that explosively breached the Modelo Prison in Panama during the 1989 U.S. invasion and rescue of Kurt Muse. Dale has 6th degree Black Belts in American Open Karate and Extension Fighting, with a 1st degree Black Belt in Ju Jitsu. He is a former professional boxer, kickboxer, and MMA fighter, who authored the 3rd Special Forces Group combatives manual in 1997, instructed the Delta Force combatives program and the 3rd Special Forces Group combatives program. He is a competitive Bodybuilder and actively trains and competes alongside his son. In the world of self-defense Dale has globally managed bodyguard details for high net worth businessman, celebrities, and Politicians. Dale has a Doctorate Natural Health and Alternative Medicine, a Masters Degree in Business and Organizational Security Management, with a Baccalaureates degree in Education. He is fluent in German, with a working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese. In September 2011 Dale was featured on Discovery Channel’s “One Man Army,” and in September 2012 he was featured on NBC’s “Stars Earn Stripes” alongside Terry Crews.

Dale is very forthright about his own operating system - what has helped propel his career, his health, his accomplishments and, ultimately, his freedom in life. For all of Dale's successes in the military, contracting, business, and coaching, there are the struggles - the marriages, the single parenting, the supervision of civilian contract security employees. From turning down a life of guaranteed comfort to abandoning Hollywood, I think Dale's life is full of lessons that are more than interesting, they are relevant.

Follow Dale here.

Buy Dale’s autobiography, American Badass here.

Chris Sparks is an Army veteran who could speak Arabic, a former police officer and current stand-up comic. More than that, he's an incredibly affable, humble, intelligent and ambitious guy. His documentary Thank Me for My Service: A Veteran’s Cry for Help is a tough watch. It is tough technically – intentionally – and it is tough because of its subject matter – which is Chris himself. The film captures a two-day period this past August when Chris finds himself in a manic state due to the meddling and persistent worrying of his family. Their worry is not without cause – Chris has a TBI and is bi-polar. But Chris’ focus is on developing his one-man live show (of Thank Me For My Service) and he needs a few days of isolation to develop it, but instead has to navigate psychiatrist appointments and arguments. It should be the stuff of comedy – especially since Chris is a stand-up comic. It screams for the irreverence of Jack Nicholson or the fevered outbursts of a young Michael Keaton. Chris opts to take it all at face value and seriously – which seems very reasonable considering that the events of the film are still so fresh and raw in his mind. If comedy is tragedy plus time, the film needs time. That said, it is undoubtably raw, poignant and memorable, a worthy addition to the conversation about PTS, suicide prevention and the treatment of veterans in the healthcare system. With time and distance from these events, I think there is comedic gold in Chris' life and experiences. But Chris is just getting started. I think his next steps will be ones to watch, and I, for one, can't wait to see what they are.

No - you're not crazy, it's a shared episode with the Savage Wonder podcast. Kris is just that interesting.

Kristopher Battles is a contemporary fine artist creating artworks in a variety of media which honor the highest traditions of representational art.

Battles graduated with a BFA in Painting from Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in December 1991, and earned his MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford in September 2013.

Originally serving as a Marine Reservist from 1986 until 1996, Battles became a Marine combat artist after reenlisting in 2006, and deployed to Overseas Contingency Operations several times to create art for the United States Marine Corps, serving in that billet until 2014. 

From 2014 until 2019, Battles served as a civilian combat artist for the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC. Battles is currently the Marine Corps Artist in Residence, on staff at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, VA.

His work has been featured in publications and art venues across the country, including the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. as a part of the art show “Fly Marines! The Centennial of Marine Corps Aviation 1912-2012” from January 2012 through January 2013.

Battles’ work was featured on the cover of Leatherneck magazine, March 2008, December 2009, and August 2020. His illustrations for the “Sharing the Courage” series were featured in Marines magazine, Oct/Nov/Dec 2009, and in a Marine Corps Times article “Heroics illustrated, comic-book style” by James K Sanborn, March 22nd, 2010.

Battles was featured in the New York Times Arts & Leisure section on July 18th, 2010, in an article by Carol Kino entitled, “With Sketchpads and Guns, Semper Fi”. 

Battles has been invited to be a guest speaker and artist for many events and organizations.  He was featured at USS Constitution Museum, Boston, MA during Marine Week in May, 2010, and his work was also on display May 5th 2010 in the John F. Kennedy School of Government for Harvard University. Battles was also guest speaker at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, January 28th 2011, and was forum speaker at The Army and The Navy Club in Washington, DC March 2nd, 2011.

Battles was featured in ABC ‘s “Persons of the Week: Combat Artists” with Charlie Gibson, September 2007, along with fellow combat artist and Hartford MFA alumnus Michael Fay, and combat artists Charles Grow and Col Charles Waterhouse.

Battles is a 2008 and 2010 recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s John W. Thomason Award for excellence in combat art, and the 2010 and 2011 recipient of the Marine Corps Combat Correspondence Association’s Merit Award for Combat Art.

Follow the Marine Corps Combat Art Program here

Follow Kris here

Lori Butierries is a full-time caregiver to two children with special needs, one child being terminally ill and physically disabled. Lori uses her life experiences and the medical knowledge she gained while serving as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy to help others facing similar hardships. Lori focuses primarily on advocating for and educating others about the special needs, mental health, and veterans communities. Her long-term goal is to reduce the stigma associated with disability by talking about it with people of all ages, thus minimizing the fear and the mystery attributed to the unknown in this regard.

A quick note to keep you all plugged in as we revamp and reload the show. Back next week with Lori Buttieries!