Old Soldier

This is an old photo of me. It was taken after US Army basic training in 1985. I was a 95 Bravo or Military Police. I look so young and served during the cold war, having been stationed in West Germany. I am 43 years old now. I was listening to Terry Gross on NPR-Fresh Air yesterday and she interviewed Former Marine Donovan Campbell who served three combat deployments, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. In Iraq, he commanded Joker One, a platoon of new Marines that he trained and transformed into a fighting unit. They were assigned to Ramadi, the capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province where they engaged in daily house-to-house combat with insurgents.
Campbell has written a memoir about his experiences with the platoon called Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood. Part of the proceeds from the book will go to various nonprofit organizations that help veterans, wounded soldiers and military families. I am going out tomorrow to buy his book. Here is a link to listen to his insightful interview.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101468628