Donald Bradley

As usual, Gene Halbin rolled a fat one after lunch. He’d taken a couple of hits when two strangers appeared at the front door. Halbin’s place sits way out of town, off the blacktop, down a dirt road, round a bend, over a bridge and deep into some woods in northwestern Bates County. Good bet they weren’t solicitors working the neighborhood

Through the darkness and past massive pillars in this old limestone mine, you come upon lights shining down on several brand-new recreational vehicles.

Is the respect that America holds for its military — a pride shown Saturday in Armed Forces Day observances — being undercut by acts of mayhem, a growing sexual abuse scandal and a flurry of other misconduct cases grabbing headlines?