It’s been a long war. It’s been a tough war.

That’s a line from “Band of Brothers” that has stayed with me for years ever since I saw the legendary HBO mini-series about paratroopers in WWII.

When Joseph Liebgott delivered that line while interpreting a German general’s speech to his men, it applied to what everyone had been through in the war to save Europe, and I’ve argued for a long time that line applies to everyday life in different ways for different people.

Nearly seven years ago, I got off a plane at Reagan Airport without much of a plan other than a shot at the Daily Caller.

I had just graduated college with grades that resembled a breathalyzer readout, but I’d had a ton of fun. Despite the constant lectures about grades being important, I always figured as long as I could get in the room, I’d take it from there.

Now, it’s July 2022 and the journey of the past seven years has come to an end. After spending more than 23% of my life with the Caller, I’ve decided that my time in the trenches has come to an end at a company that I truly love and has been my only professional home as an adult.

I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished here over the past seven years. I sincerely mean WE. From the editors, writers, tech people and all the way down to the readers, none of what I’ve been able to do since August 2015 would have been possible without any of you.

Every step of the way, I have enjoyed and cherished this journey. I come from a place where there aren’t a ton of opportunities outside of the immediate area. My hometown is full of good, hard working people, but that’s also just the reality of the situation.

The idea of moving to Washington, D.C. and taking a stab at media is a completely foreign idea to almost everyone there. Hell, it was a daunting and scary idea to me as well.

Yet, because we all were in this together, the ride has been something beyond words. Every day, my goal has been to have fun and give every ounce of effort I have.

The last thing I ever want anyone to say about me is that I left plays out on the field. I’m confident that I did everything in my power to give you guys a grade-A effort and experience. Every second you spend reading or watching my content is time you will never get back, and you deserve to have your time spent on stuff you enjoy.

Whether it was college football, movie reviews, talking about “Yellowstone” or just chatting about drinking beers with the boys, I’ve tried to give you guys an honest look at who I am and what I do. You’ve had an open look at my life for the better part of a decade, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the chaos, humor and downright stupidity at times as much as I’ve enjoyed taking you on the ride.

Personally, the two things I will take away as my greatest accomplishments at the Daily Caller are the fight to save college football and the light we’ve shined on our brave military heroes.

When the cowards and morons tried to bankrupt our states and communities by canceling sports, I fought like hell to make sure they wouldn’t succeed. Many of you sent me tips, information and got me in contact with people who assisted in the fight. It wasn’t always pretty, but the 2020 season happened. Again, it’s been a long war. It’s been a tough war.

I’ve spent the past 188 days fighting to save Big 10 football. Today, we accomplished the mission.

Much like the Osama Bin Laden raid or D-Day, you never know when your number will be called to serve. All you hope for is to execute your job and the mission.

We did just that.

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 16, 2020

On the military end, ever since I was a little kid I’ve admired special operators. I’m not even sure I know what the origin for that love and passion is, but they’re real life superheroes to me. Whenever I interview one of those men, I try to take you on the journey with me to learn as much about their stories as we can.

I hope I’ve made you all a little more proud of the men who wear the uniform and take the fight to the enemy.

Most people never kill one terrorist. Robert Keller got to engage five terrorists firing RPGs and other weapons at him all by himself.

If you’re a bad guy and you find yourself in a fight with a Delta operator, you’re probably going to die! pic.twitter.com/rza0pSRtIT

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) February 21, 2022

As for the social aspect of the Caller, I imagine there’ll be a book or a movie that comes out someday about the debauchery and renegade carnage we’ve engaged in since I showed up in 2015. While we’ve certainly chilled out as time passes, I’m an old man now, after all, our old motto used to be that we’d work all day and party all night.

There was a time when we’d hit up P.J. Clarke’s four or five nights a week for happy hour. To this day, I don’t understand how I had the stamina or bankroll to afford that as a young man. Somehow, we managed to crush our jobs and maintain a steady buzz. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

I’ve made some incredible friends, met some incredible people and done some incredible things since getting on that plane in Wisconsin back in 2015, and the Caller is the entity it all ties back to.

Whether it was the rooftop beers at the RNC in 2016 as we watched the sun come up or just hanging out with the guys chatting about our failures with women, it’s all been the trip of a lifetime.

It’s been 1,986 straight days of work with the Caller without a break, including holidays and weekends. Some people might read that stat and think I’m crazy. I don’t view it that way at all.

 

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When you’re in the fight and loving it, the last thing you do is take a break. You all asked me to give you guys something to laugh, debate and sometimes get angry about. I think I got the job done, and it has been the honor of my relatively young life to do it with each and every one of you.

 

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Now, for the first time in five and a half years, I won’t have any work to do this weekend. I guess that means there might be a bit of extra time for some beer drinking and memory making outside of the Caller. Honestly, not sure how I feel about that!

From the bottom of my heart to everyone reading this, thank you for playing a role and thank you for the memories we’ve made together in this war we call life. Trust me when I say this isn’t a permanent goodbye. It’s just a bit of a see you all later! Trust me, I’m not disappearing. I’ll definitely be around. I wouldn’t rob the fans of the blue eyes forever, but for right now, it’s time for the next step.

I’m David Hookstead, and the sun has finally gone down on this gunfighter’s time with the Daily Caller.