Just Here to Be One of the Guys

Let’s be real, #WeCantAllBeJohnFannin, ya know, the main dude for this American Grit thingy you’ve been reading... I gave that hashtag to John soon after I met him because in real life, he is one of those dudes. While I know it's still a vague comment, just know, that is John. And that, too! He’s a straight killer.With that being said, I am not him. My writing style is completely different and honestly, I am just not as in-depth on "current events around the world" as he is. And no, I don't give a shit about who is going to propose to who on some television show either. I just suck at history and world-wide current events in great detail… I’m working on it.Also, I’m not a fucking Marine. Before marrying one (DEFINITELY not John!), I had no fucking clue who Chesty Puller was. I keep myself busy with work, an Army Reserve career, and that wife life. (Make a sandwich joke, I double dare you.)What I do know- there are so many aspects to military service and veteran life that need to be talked about. Nowadays, a lot of what you see is PTSD-related, negative publicity and "veterans are bad" mmkay. Some veterans even leave their service off their resume hoping civilian employers will hire them.What about all the good shit veterans do? What about the positive impacts veterans are making in our community? What about the brother and sisterhood bonds? What are we, as veterans and service members, doing to give ourselves the leg up? I follow a lot of veteran-related social media but I don't really see a solid storytelling platform yet that encompasses all of what our community is about.Well, I want to write about it! I want to help turn the face of the veteran into more than just war-ridden, foul-mouthed, PTSD-having scoundrels. We, as veterans and service members, bring a dynamic to the table most people don't understand.We are everywhere in society, making the world a better, safer place and we deserve to have our stories told. Male, female, POG, grunt, Army, Navy, hell I will even write about cool Coast Guard shit if they ever do more than bang on the top of submarines… (Shots fired!) Got a cool LEO or first responder story? Well, we back the blue, too!So, you will see different content and a different style. Drop comments, like, share and read my stuff. Or don’t. I'm really just here to be 'one of the guys,' tell bad ass stories and hey, maybe even get to do some cool shit because of it.See ya on the next American Grit Live!