A Thanksgiving for Courage, Integrity, and Lasting Gifts

Why I’m Releasing This Work Today | The Turkey, the Eagle, and the Hug Heard Around the World

by Hunter Storm, 2025 November 27

Thanksgiving is a day when people gather with friends and family, pile their plates with too much food, switch to sweatpants by 3 p.m., and lean into one of the most universal memes in American culture. It’s a day built around warmth, comfort, and—at least in theory—gratitude. That’s why today, I wrote this post for Thanksgiving gratitude and lasting impact

But beneath the jokes and the cranberry‑sauce‑related emergencies, Thanksgiving began as something deeper: a celebration of sanctuary.

It marked the moment when people who fled oppression and tyranny found shelter and the freedom to build something new. Yes, there are many perspectives on the history, and no, this isn’t the place for political debates about who was here first or how that chapter unfolded.

The part I’m choosing to honor today is the idea of sanctuary—freedom from repression, freedom from fear, and the values of justice, courage, and integrity that were meant to guide the United States from its earliest days.

Over time, that meaning has gotten lost in arguments, commentary, and noise. So today, I’m bringing the focus back.

For me, this Thanksgiving is a moment to honor the sanctuary I was given—unexpectedly, quietly, and courageously—by the people on the other side of the glass who chose to help when it would have been easier not to.

This post and the release of associated work, including Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), Common Weakness Exposures (CWEs), Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge or MITRE ATT&CK frameworks, and white papers, is my gratitude for those:

Who looked when looking was uncomfortable,
Those brave humans whose hands trembled but did the right thing anyway,
Who stood up in the face of uncertainty to check the truth instead of dismissing it.
The systems that responded as they were designed to,
Everyone who recognizes that truth, integrity, and stewardship still matter.
Who restored my faith in ethics after 18 long years of believing the concept was becoming something outdated enough to be removed from the dictionary,

This past two years, through The Storm Project | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence—I saw something I feared no longer existed: old‑fashioned courage, honor, stewardship, and integrity.

This virtual “meal,” shared across continents and screens, is my offering of thanks.

And tomorrow? Tomorrow is Black Friday: the annual feeding frenzy of deals, shopping carts, and doorbusters. A frenzy meant to show love by buying things—new sweaters, oversized screens, chocolates that vanish long before January gym resolutions do.

But what if, this time, our feeding frenzy looked different? What if the energy we pour into searching for bargains became the energy we use to fix what’s broken? What if the “deals” we sought were better systems, safer algorithms, improved safeguards, and protections for the people who depend on these technologies every day? What if the gifts we gave were invisible—gifts from ghosts, as I wrote in my earlier work—yet enduring?

A sweater frays. A TV becomes obsolete. A box of chocolates is gone in an evening. But the safeguards we build today—the corrections to misclassification, reputation systems, AI misuse, and systemic vulnerabilities—those are gifts that last for generations. Those are the changes that echo long after we are gone.

Some hugs last only a moment yet stay with us for a lifetime. This work—my work—is my version of a hug for the world. A gesture meant to reverberate through future systems and future generations, protecting people I will never meet and helping build something worthy of all of us giving thanks. Not something to argue about. Something to stand on. Something to build from. Something better.

This is my offering of thanks. More to come.

— Hunter Storm

Discover More from Hunter Storm

Enjoy Hunter Storm’s Thanksgiving gratitude and lasting impact post? Dive into more of her articles, pages, posts, and more in the links below.

About the Author | Hunter Storm | Technology Executive | Global Thought Leader | Keynote Speaker

CISO | Advisory Board Member | SOC Black Ops Team | Systems Architect | Strategic Policy Advisor | Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator | Cyber-Physical-Psychological Hybrid Threat Expert | Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Background

Hunter Storm is a veteran Fortune 100 Chief Information Security Officer (CISO); Advisory Board Member; Security Operations Center (SOC) Black Ops Team Member; Systems Architect; Risk Assessor; Strategic Policy and Intelligence Advisor; Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Quantum Innovator, and Cyber-Physical-Psychological (Cyber-Phys-Psy) Hybrid Threat Expert; and Keynote Speaker with deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies.

Drawing on decades of experience in global Fortune 100 enterprises, including Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, and American Express; aerospace and high-tech manufacturing leaders such as Alcoa and Special Devices (SDI) / Daicel Safety Systems (DSS); and leading technology services firms such as CompuCom, she guides organizations through complex technical, strategic, and operational challenges.

Hunter Storm combines technical mastery with real-world operational resilience in high-stakes environments. She builds and protects systems that often align with defense priorities, but serve critical industries and public infrastructure. She combines first-hand; hands-on; real-world cross-domain expertise in risk assessment, security, and ethical governance; and field-tested theoretical research with a proven track record in high-stakes environments that demand both technical acumen and strategic foresight.

Global Expert and Subject Matter Expert (SME) | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and Strategic Intelligence

Hunter Storm is a globally recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum technology, intelligence, strategy, and emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) as defined by NATO and other international frameworks.

A recognized subject matter expert (SME) with top-tier expert networks including GLG (Top 1%), AlphaSights, and Third Bridge, Hunter Storm advises Board Members, CEOs, CTOs, CISOs, Founders, and Senior Executives across technology, finance, and consulting sectors. Her insights have shaped policy, strategy, and high-risk decision-making at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, and human-technical threat surfaces.

Projects | Research and Development (R&D) | Frameworks

Hunter Storm is the creator of The Storm Project: AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum, and the Future of Intelligence, the largest AI research initiative in history.

She is the originator of the Hacking Humans: Ports and Services Model of Social Engineering, a foundational framework in psychological operations (PsyOps) and biohacking, adopted by governments, enterprises, and global security communities.

Hunter Storm also pioneered the first global forensic mapping of digital repression architecture, suppression, and censorship through her project Viewpoint Discrimination by Design: First Global Forensic Mapping of Digital Repression Architecture, monitoring platform accountability and digital suppression worldwide.

Achievements and Awards

Hunter Storm is a Mensa member and recipient of the Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award, reflecting her enduring influence on AI, cybersecurity, quantum, technology, strategy, and global security.

Hunter Storm | The Ultimate Asymmetric Advantage

Hunter Storm is known for solving problems most won’t touch. She combines technical mastery, operational agility, and strategic foresight to protect critical assets and shape the future at the intersection of technology, strategy, and high-risk decision-making.

Hunter Storm reframes human-technical threat surfaces to expose vulnerabilities others miss, delivering the ultimate asymmetric advantage.

Discover Hunter Storm’s full About the Author biography and career highlights.

Securing the Future | AI, Cybersecurity, Quantum computing, innovation, risk management, hybrid threats, security. Hunter Storm (“The Fourth Option”) is here. Let’s get to work.

Confidential Contact

Contact Hunter Storm for: Consultations, engagements, board memberships, leadership roles, policy advisory, legal strategy, expert witness, or unconventional problems that require highly unconventional solutions.