The Sailor and the Necromancer: How Resiliency Became a Story of Survival

Beyond the Uniform

Resiliency is one of the most essential qualities a service member can have. The ability to adapt, recover, and keep pushing forward in the face of adversity is not just encouraged in the military—it is demanded. Yet, resiliency is not simply about being tough; it is about balancing mental strength, physical endurance, and emotional stability in environments that test every limit.

The Physical Demands of Resiliency

In the Navy, Sailors are trained to expect the unexpected. Whether standing the watch at sea, working through 18-hour days, or managing multiple collateral duties ashore, the body is constantly being tested. Physical resiliency is not only about fitness; it is about finding the energy to keep moving when exhaustion sets in.

With over 14 years of service as an administrator, my work may not be on the flight line or in the engine room, but resiliency still matters. Long hours behind a desk, the stress of inspections, or supporting a Joint Command can take a toll in ways that aren’t always visible. Physical endurance means knowing how to balance the demands of the mission with the need to rest, recover, and maintain readiness—because burnout in the admin shop can impact the entire command’s effectiveness.

The Mental and Emotional Battles

Resiliency in the military is just as much mental as it is physical. Over more than a decade in uniform, I’ve seen how the weight of responsibility, separation from family, and constant change test Sailors in ways that no PT session can prepare them for.

As a leader, I’ve watched junior Sailors wrestle with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones fought silently—in the late hours when the emails don’t stop, or during deployments when a Sailor is missing a child’s birthday or a spouse’s support.

Resiliency here means mentorship: being present, listening, and ensuring Sailors know they don’t have to shoulder the burden alone. Programs like counseling, DAPA, and command support networks are more than resources—they’re lifelines.

Why Resiliency Matters

Resiliency directly impacts mission success. In my role at USSOUTHCOM, leading administrative operations for a Joint Task Force, resiliency isn’t optional—it’s mission-critical. If the admin team breaks under pressure, readiness falters, and the ripple effect is felt across the command.

A resilient Sailor can bend without breaking, who can adapt to high-tempo operations, and who can recover quickly enough to lead others. The Navy’s “Get Real, Get Better” initiative is rooted in the concept of recognizing challenges honestly, learning from them, and improving both ourselves and the team.

How Resiliency Shaped "Of Land and Bone"

My experiences with resiliency didn’t just shape me as a leader—they shaped me as a storyteller. In my dark fantasy series, Of Land and Bone, the protagonist Lorian Glint is a farm boy who loses everything in war and is left to survive against impossible odds. His journey is not just about revenge or power—it is about resiliency.

Lorian’s struggle mirrors the lessons I’ve learned in uniform: enduring hardship, finding strength in moments of weakness, and refusing to quit even when the world feels broken. Just as Sailors must find ways to push forward after failure or loss, Lorian learns to rise from the ashes of his old life, to bend without breaking, and to transform adversity into strength.

The mental and physical tolls of military service—the long nights, the pressure to perform, the weight of leadership—are echoed in the grit and determination of my characters. Writing Of Land and Bone became a way to explore resiliency through a different lens: one forged in fantasy, but rooted in very real human experience.

Final Thoughts

Resiliency is about more than enduring the storm—it’s about learning to thrive within it. I’ve seen Sailors break barriers, overcome hardship, and come back stronger than before. Each challenge faced, whether physical or mental, becomes another layer of armor—not just for the individual, but as a whole.

For me, resiliency has been the thread running through every watch, every board, and every challenge of leadership. It is also the heartbeat of my writing, reminding me that whether on the deckplate or the page, the message is the same:

It’s not about being unbreakable. It’s about getting back up, every single time, and leading others to do the same.