We were so busy ringing in the holidays with movie reviews that we didn't have time to comment on Jim Mattis' resignation, Trump's extremely thought-out Syria zonk, the DC defense establishment backlash to these two developments, and so much more in defense-related news. So, this week Nate and Francis discuss whether or not liberals should induct Mattis into the hashtag resistance hall of fame just yet.

For this week's bonus episode, Nate interviews veteran writer and journalist Jasper Lo about his experience transitioning back into civilian life from the military, when transitioning also includes returning to the extremely conservative and not particularly pro-military Chinese-American community in New York. You can access the episode at the $5 Patreon tier here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/perfect-dim-sum-23660984

Also: Jasper is working on a story about the death of Danny Chen in 2011. If you were deployed with 3-21 Infantry or with 1st SBCT, 25th ID in 2011-12, he'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch, or send us a DM on Twitter / Facebook.

*Veterans t-shirt notice* We have a new shirt available on our store. Did you know that VA disability is UBI for warriors? Well, you do now: https://teespring.com/deeply-conflicted-tee_copy_1#pid=387&cid=101810&sid=front

You can follow the show on Twitter here: @HellOfAWay Follow Nate here: @inthesedesertsFollow Francis here: @ArmyStrang