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Let’s be clear: while I have many members of my family who served in the military — dad and two uncles in Vietnam, grandfather in WW2, cousin in the national guard, brother-in-law as a Navy Corpsman — I am not a military veteran.
My 10+ years in the State Department included seven consecutive years in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2003-10. While I was shot at, had close calls with RPGs, IEDs, IDF, and bullets, I was not part of the US military nor did I carry a weapon.
I worked closely with all branches, particularly with Marines, and was responsible for political strategy and engagement with Afghan and Iraqi leaders — governors, mayors, tribal, religious. https://www.newsweek.com/renegade-diplomat-kael-westons-afghanistan-turnaround-63799
I wrote a book about my experiences. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/books/review/mirror-test-j-kael-weston-terror-years-lawrence-wright.html
