To understand a country, one must understand its people and its traditions. Otherwise we shall be working in a vacuum, and subject ourselves to shocks, irritations, and disappointments in our work here.  We must realize the reactions, both official and popular of the Austrians to our actions here will be different to those of our own people, influenced as they are by centuries of history and traditions so different from those of the United States.
- A Review of Civil Affairs  (Headquarters United States Forces in Austria, 31 March 1948)

"The most extravagant idea that can be born in the head of a political thinker is to believe that it suffices for people to enter, weapons in hand, among a foreign people and expect to have its laws and constitution embraced.  No one loves armed missionaries.  The first lesson of nature and prudence is to repulse them as enemies".
- French Revolutionary leader Robespierre, in a speech he gave to the Jacobin Club on 2 January 1792


I pasted one of my favorite internet memes about SFC Everman below the article.


US VETERANS 
By ERIC SOF

Jason Everman: From a rock star to the Army Ranger and Green Beret

Jason Everman: From a rock star to the Army Ranger and Green Beret 1
The path from the rock career to a respectable SOF operator was easy for Jason Everman. Tales of combat stories from a friend, a former Navy SEAL, inspired Jason Everman who was restless with his rock career and were in pursuit of new life challenges. The stories of brotherhood and combat experience triggered his decision to join the  Rangers. He turned his back on "this world of cool," as he said in the video. He felt "free."
Table of Contents   hide 
1 Enlistment
2 Bachelor's degree
3 Official military record: Jason Everman

ENLISTMENT

Jason Everman was born on October 16, 1967, at Ouzinkie (then-part of Kodiak), Alaska, United States. He was not an ordinary guy, instead of that, he was the man who was kicked out of two rock bands,  Nirvana and Soundgarden.
Jason Everman: From a rock star to the Army Ranger and Green Beret 2
Former Nirvana guitarist Jason Everman, serving with the US Army Special Forces in Afghanistan (Photo: NYT)
In 1994, he traded his guitar for a rifle and enlisted in the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces as a part of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He did his time and apparently come back for more in 2000 when he once again joined the U.S. Army Special Operations Forces and deployed to Iraq.
During his military career, he served as an Army Ranger and  Green Beret.

BACHELOR'S DEGREE

During his second service, Jason Everman considered the completion of his bachelor's degree as the final step toward achieving a well-rounded, wholeness in his life.
"THROUGHOUT MY ADULT LIFE, I HAVE MADE THE CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO DEVELOP THREE ASPECTS OF WHO I AM: THE ARTIST, THE SOLDIER, AND THE PHILOSOPHER. I BELIEVE GS HAS BEEN THE IDEAL PLACE TO REALIZE THIS DEVELOPMENT," EVERMAN SAID.
The military set him up for  applying to Columbia University later. General Stanley A. McChrystal wrote a letter of recommendation for his application. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Columbia University School of General Studies on May 20, 2013.
While enrolled at Columbia GS, Everman, who was an active member of the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University student organization, composed and recorded a song entitled, "Catch & Release," for the soundtrack, "A Marine's Guide to Fishing," an award-winning short film starring an Iraq veteran. He also participated in the New York University Veterans Writing Workshop where he published two stories in the 2009 and 2010 anthologies entitled, "The Meantime," and "Summation," respectively.

OFFICIAL MILITARY RECORD: JASON EVERMAN

Last Rank: Sergeant First Class
Last Service Branch: Special Forces
Last Primary MOS: 18B-Special Forces Weapons Sergeant
Last MOS Group: Special Forces (Enlisted)
Primary Unit: 2001-2006, 18B, 3rd Special Forces Group Airborne
Previously Held MOS: 11B10-Infantryman
Service Years: 1994 - 2006
Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom

De Oppresso Liber,

David Maxwell
Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Personal Email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
Phone: 202-573-8647
Web Site:  www.fdd.org
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Subscribe to FDD's new podcast, Foreign Podicy
 
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.


If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:

"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."