I’ve been thinking a lot lately about war stories—mine and everyone else’s. I don’t hate them. I never have. They matter. They come from real places, real cost, real consequence. When shared with purpose, they teach restraint, humility, and respect for what violence actually takes from a human being. But I’ve also seen how easily they can turn into a loop. There was a time when I didn’t know who I was without my stories. They became proof. Credibility. Armor. I told myself I was honoring the past, but if I’m honest, I was often reliving it. Re-activating it. Feeding something inside me that didn’t want to be quiet. That’s not strength. That’s a lack of self-awareness. I’ve sat through countless trainings as a cop where most of the day was war stories. Some from overseas. Some from the street. Some from decades ago. Stories can be powerful—but when they’re self-serving, when they reinforce identity instead of building capacity, they miss the point. Experience without reflection is just memory. Self-awareness changes the question. Not what happened to me? But how am I relating to it now? I’ve learned that sometimes we don’t return to these stories because they still need to be told—we return to them because our nervous system recognizes the feeling. The certainty. The activation. The version of ourselves that once knew exactly who it was. But growth asks something different. It asks us to carry the past without becoming it. To remember without reliving. To teach without performing. The strongest people I know aren’t the loudest storytellers. They’re the ones who can sit quietly with their past without needing to explain it. They know who they are now. They’re not negotiating with who they were. I don’t want fewer stories. I want more conscious ones. Stories that serve purpose, not ego. Stories that point forward, not backward. Stories that end in responsibility, not applause. The past is a teacher. It was never meant to be a cage.

This is what a normal day looks like for me. No highlight reel. No filters. No politics. Just real life in South Memphis—through my eyes. In this episode of Life Through Ben’s Eyes, you’re riding shotgun with me and Cody as we load up at the house and head straight into the hood. You’ll see one of our former dope houses that we shut down and converted into a Hope House—now being prepared for trafficking survivors and kids who deserve a real shot at life. We stop next door to check in on Crecia and her family—equal parts wisdom, chaos, and comedy. If you’ve never heard hard-earned street truth delivered with perfect comedic timing, you’re in for a treat. Then we head downtown to 777 South Main Street, the newest building we’re fighting to turn into a full-scale detox and rehab center—because recovery shouldn’t be reserved for people with money, connections, or clean pasts. This isn’t a documentary. It’s not scripted. It’s not safe. It’s just life—seen from the ground level, where the problems actually live. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to change a city, protect kids, and turn hell into something that looks a lot more like hope—this is for you. 👇 If this matters to you: - Like the video - Subscribe to the channel - Share it with someone who needs to see real work being done - Drop a comment—I read them Even monster fighters get tired sometimes. But we don’t quit.

They want us to hate each other. Left. Right. Red. Blue. I’ve buried kids at Uvalde. Pulled people out of trap houses in South Memphis. Evacuated families from Afghanistan. Worked shootings, riots, disasters, and war zones. And not once — not ever — has someone asked me who I voted for before asking for help. That division you see online? It’s not real on the streets. It’s manufactured. And it’s tearing this country apart. I made a video about it. Not as a pundit. Not as a politician. But as someone who’s been in the worst places on earth and still believes we can do better. Watch it. Sit with it. Then jump in the comments — respectfully. If you agree, share it. If you disagree, watch it anyway. And if you’re tired of being forced into boxes that don’t fit… This one’s for you. 👉 Watch the full video. 👉 Like, comment, share. 👉 Subscribe if you’re done with the noise and ready for solutions.

Owen Army Ops lessons hitting a new level…thank yall for sticking it out!