BRB1

After I separated from the military, I continued to deploy as a contractor. Many don't realize that we often claim to have no boots on the ground in a given theater because we have no uniformed troops there. But we do. Their uniform is 5.11 cargo pants and black zip-up fleeces. I know. I was one of them. I didn't ask to stop deploying. I was forced into it. I got a bad neurological report. Spinocerebellar ataxia, type 14. Never heard of it, right? It's one of the rare ones. I think of it like a slow progressing ALS. It's characterized by a steadily deteriorating sense of balance and coordination. It makes things that used to be easy, difficult. It makes things that used to be difficult, impossible. It's not going to shorten my life, God willing, but it will make my later years look different than I had hoped. I obviously couldn't keep deploying. I did my final tour - one last hurrah to the same desert where I had earlier met Lucy. It was a much safer place this time. I made a point to stop by our old camp and visit the spot where I had once played with my dog when she was a sad faced pup in the desert. What I didn't know is that a short time later, I'd be out of a job, a casualty of Biden's vaccine mandate. As someone rendered non-deployable, nobody went to bat for me. In those uncertain times, they wanted to retain the people they could use as boots on the ground. So I was shown the door. It felt like Uncle Sam had spat in my face. At the same time, @Herb_Minstrel's music school closed on orders of the Virginia Health Department prohibiting in-person music lessons. In the blink of an eye, our family's source of income had disappeared. But Lucy remained a source of comfort. When I deployed, I felt better leaving my wife and kids knowing she was home to protect them. When I had to stop traveling, she kept my experiences alive; a living, breathing link to the past. D.C. once took away my livelihood. Richmond took away my wife's. Now, the county is trying to take away our dog. We can't let them. #SaveLucy

I hate the spotlight. The stage is a scary place. I just want a quiet life. But this cause is worth it. Lucy is worth it. This is not just about Lucy. What has happened to me and Lucy will happen again. It will repeat, over and over. In Kalamazoo, Michigan. In Walla Walla, Washington. In Schenectady, New York. To Joe and Buddy. To Mike and Sadie. To Jane and Teddy. It will happen to them, but nobody will know. They will love their dogs no less than I love Lucy, but nobody will hear their story. It will not steal the spotlight the way Lucy's story has. They will cry out for justice, but it will be in vain. Few will listen. Few, but the Lord above will. God put Lucy and me in the spotlight to be their voice. To advocate for Joe, Mike, and Jane. To advocate for Buddy, Sadie, and Teddy. To push for change. Lord, let me live up to the responsibility you have placed on my shoulders. This crap needs to never happen again. Never, never, never, never, never. #SaveLucy @Herb_Minstrel @LoneStarChica @catturd2

After I separated from the military, I continued to deploy as a contractor. Many don't realize that we often claim to have no boots on the ground in a given theater because we have no uniformed troops there. But we do. Their uniform is 5.11 cargo pants and black zip-up fleeces. I know. I was one of them. I didn't ask to stop deploying. I was forced into it. I got a bad neurological report. Spinocerebellar ataxia, type 14. Never heard of it, right? It's one of the rare ones. I think of it like a slow progressing ALS. It's characterized by a steadily deteriorating sense of balance and coordination. It makes things that used to be easy, difficult. It makes things that used to be difficult, impossible. It's not going to shorten my life, God willing, but it will make my later years look different than I had hoped. I obviously couldn't keep deploying. I did my final tour - one last hurrah to the same desert where I had earlier met Lucy. It was a much safer place this time. I made a point to stop by our old camp and visit the spot where I had once played with my dog when she was a sad faced pup in the desert. What I didn't know is that a short time later, I'd be out of a job, a casualty of Biden's vaccine mandate. As someone rendered non-deployable, nobody went to bat for me. In those uncertain times, they wanted to retain the people they could use as boots on the ground. So I was shown the door. It felt like Uncle Sam had spat in my face. At the same time, @Herb_Minstrel's music school closed on orders of the Virginia Health Department prohibiting in-person music lessons. In the blink of an eye, our family's source of income had disappeared. But Lucy remained a source of comfort. When I deployed, I felt better leaving my wife and kids knowing she was home to protect them. When I had to stop traveling, she kept my experiences alive; a living, breathing link to the past. D.C. once took away my livelihood. Richmond took away my wife's. Now, the county is trying to take away our dog. We can't let them. #SaveLucy

After I separated from the military, I continued to deploy as a contractor. Many don't realize that we often claim to have no boots on the ground in a given theater because we have no uniformed troops there. But we do. Their uniform is 5.11 cargo pants and black zip-up fleeces. I know. I was one of them. I didn't ask to stop deploying. I was forced into it. I got a bad neurological report. Spinocerebellar ataxia, type 14. Never heard of it, right? It's one of the rare ones. I think of it like a slow progressing ALS. It's characterized by a steadily deteriorating sense of balance and coordination. It makes things that used to be easy, difficult. It makes things that used to be difficult, impossible. It's not going to shorten my life, God willing, but it will make my later years look different than I had hoped. I obviously couldn't keep deploying. I did my final tour - one last hurrah to the same desert where I had earlier met Lucy. It was a much safer place this time. I made a point to stop by our old camp and visit the spot where I had once played with my dog when she was a sad faced pup in the desert. What I didn't know is that a short time later, I'd be out of a job, a casualty of Biden's vaccine mandate. As someone rendered non-deployable, nobody went to bat for me. In those uncertain times, they wanted to retain the people they could use as boots on the ground. So I was shown the door. It felt like Uncle Sam had spat in my face. At the same time, @Herb_Minstrel's music school closed on orders of the Virginia Health Department prohibiting in-person music lessons. In the blink of an eye, our family's source of income had disappeared. But Lucy remained a source of comfort. When I deployed, I felt better leaving my wife and kids knowing she was home to protect them. When I had to stop traveling, she kept my experiences alive; a living, breathing link to the past. D.C. once took away my livelihood. Richmond took away my wife's. Now, the county is trying to take away our dog. We can't let them. #SaveLucy

Took Lucy treats. Couldn't see her. One of the ladies took a video of her. She sent it to me along with the following message: "Praying for a positive outcome soon for Lucy! 🙏" These people are heroes. God bless them. But I want my dog back. #SaveLucy @Herb_Minstrel

EXCLUSIVE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom granted more than $40 million to the radical Islamist group CAIR-CA. Our investigative team traced the flow of funds and discovered that CAIR then funneled some of this cash to groups with alleged terrorist ties. city-journal.org/article/counci…

Took Lucy treats. Couldn't see her. One of the ladies took a video of her. She sent it to me along with the following message: "Praying for a positive outcome soon for Lucy! 🙏" These people are heroes. God bless them. But I want my dog back. #SaveLucy @Herb_Minstrel

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