There's always this notion that people in the military are super-disciplined, squared away, and have things figured out in life. But in my experience, that couldn't be further from the truth. In reality? I was struggling inside. When I wasn't in uniform, I felt like I was losing at life. Behind closed doors, I wasn't the man I appeared to be. When I came back home, I'd isolate myself in my own bedroom. 16 hours a day in front of a screen: video games, p*rn, doomscrolling, binge-watching YouTube... I used them as a way to cope from life's problems and pretend they didn't exist. I felt like a fraud. Everyone saw a "Marine", but I knew who I was truly becoming. There's this quote by John Owen, which goes, "what you are in secret, is what you truly are." And it was undeniable that what I was doing in secret was not lining up to the person I was revealing in public. Eventually I got out of the military, carrying this burden even more. I found jobs in the meantime to pay bills, but they couldn't fill the hole that was inside of me. But there was one day where everything changed: On July 3rd, 2023, at 1:30 PM, I was standing in front of a stack of Chromebooks I was supposed to test (for more context, I took on a test technician job for an e-commerce company) That's when I heard a voice in my head. One I couldn't ignore. It simply said: "You were meant for more." The voice felt so real it was like someone was right next to me, whispering it to my ear. And it was exactly what I needed to hear. That afternoon, I didn't just go home to my old devices. I took action. I decided to stop looking for "jobs" and start building a mission. I realized that the discipline I thought I lost wasn't gone—it just didn't have a target. Which led me to where I am today. I walked away from the "safety" of a low-wage, unfulfilling career in July 2024 with no Plan B. Just full commitment. Now, I spend my time fulfilling my purpose. And I no longer need to be ashamed of the person I once was behind closed doors.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction of Operation: Year One. The focus on Veterans is right. The idea of “Year One” after the uniform still matters. But the format needs to evolve. Instead of trying to change or replace systems like TAP, I want this to be something different — something organic. This community is about dialogue. Real conversations. No scripts. No funnels. No end-of-post sales pitch. More importantly, I want this space to lean on the wisdom of older Veterans — the ones who’ve already lived through the confusion, the mistakes, the rebuild — and let that experience guide the ones who are just stepping out. Not advice from influencers. Not theory. Lived experience. If you’ve been out for years, your voice matters here. If you just took the uniform off, you’re not expected to have answers — just honesty. This isn’t about control. It’s about brotherhood, reflection, and shared responsibility. So I’ll ask this openly: What do you wish someone had told you during your first year out — and are you willing to say it here for the next Veteran coming behind you?

Welcome 🙏🏽 vets TODAY is the kickoff to this community OPERATION:YEAR ONE I’ve dreamed of spreading info to veterans for a long time but no platform suited me,till I found Skool yesterday.. so please bear with me as I navigate this platform. Every 4 days I’ll be switching different topics, but during those 4 days I will dive deep into each subject giving you the truth and information the VA didn’t want you to know and how to really MAXIMIZE your civilian life as a veteran, these next 4 days I wanna do 2 things. 1. Learn more about my followers like what branch you served and a little backstory about you 2. I wanna make you get in your own head and really find what makes you tick and along the way I hope the self reflection awakens something in you I cater to more of the transitioning veterans but if you are a salty veteran who could give advice or learn something new please use the info I have collected over the years to grow and prosper out in the CIV world. IDENTITY LOSS AFTER SERVICE - when you get out of service you have no more orders being barked at you, no more 5am command PT sessions, honestly no accountability and something happens neurologically not slowly, but immediately your brain goes from “I know who I am and I know what matters” to “who am I?” That gap is where we are at now for this phase that gap is identity loss… “A lot of veterans struggle after getting out because the military didn’t just give us a job — it gave us an identity. When that disappears overnight, it’s normal to feel lost. That doesn’t mean you failed. It means you’re between chapters.” Let me say this for EVERYONE IM NOT HERE TO “fix” anyone. IM HERE to helping you understand: - Why YOU feel the way YOU do - That YOU are not alone - That this phase is temporary - That a new identity can be built intentionally Once YOU GRASP THAT understanding, the shame drops. And when shame drops, healing starts. For my vets who are in the community I wanna leave you with a question…