War is all around us.

Every day the news reports on the war in Ukraine, the threat of war with China, we're taught about past wars between nations

and empires.

Much of who I am today was shaped by my experience fighting for our country in Afghanistan.

But there is another war raging.

It's a spiritual war that few would deny. We see it some through tragedies in the news and in the

cultural war in America today, but it's a war that has been raging for all of our history.

It's the fight between good and evil.

And it's a war that every one of us are caught up in.

When I was in combat, we had the best gear in the world.

Our weapons were state-of-the-art and effective at fighting the enemy.

We had cutting edge protection, our

helmets, our body armor, fireproof gloves, and uniforms. The sum of everything we wore gave us

damn near superhuman strength as we fought a ruthless enemy hell-bent on

destroying us. And that protection did its job. Six of my men were shot in the head, but were able to stay in their

fight and survive because they were wearing their helmets. Men suffered burns, but their flame retard and gloves saved their hands.

Body armor stopped shrapnel that would have otherwise torn through bodies.

I was blown up, and I wouldn't be here today if I wasn't equipped

with all of the protection our military gives its war fighters. It made us more effective in combat and many of us would not have returned home without it.

But this, this is a spiritual war in America and all around the world.

It's not a physical war.

It isn't fought on distant battlefields.

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