“This is a time to reflect on both sides of war, the shadows and the light, the uncertain and the certain. In 2004, I was called for active duty in Iraq — I didn’t do the actual fighting, but the smaller things — building schools, talking to locals on the ground, and establishing trust. It was an intense and revealing experience — the Iraqis we were working with on the ground could be the ones planning to attack us. We just didn’t know who stood where. But establishing trust was key. And I think that’s what’s moving this nation forward. I can’t stress how important it is to just start that dialogue. That’s how we get out of the shadows.”
