With each end, a new beginning

“Thus do we poor humans attain our ends, striving through carnage and destruction to bring lasting peace and happiness upon the earth” -Jack London

As I boarded a Boeing 777 back to the United States this past week, a chapter seemed to be ending. I had begun my journey at the United States Military Academy at West Point ten years and one week to the day from my return flight. After being stationed in Europe at a NATO training center for almost five years it was time to come home, not as a career officer, that dream had changed following the tragic results of the revolutions of the Arab Spring, but as a global citizen committed to serving those who had been affected by the horrors of conflict. As I began my transition from the military to the civilian sector, I was honored to have been selected a Rotary Peace Fellow in Tokyo, Japan where I will be guided by experts in refugee law and international institutions to be capable of assisting those most in need.

Meeting a Righteous Among Nations, a gentile who risked her life to save Jews in Poland during the Holocaust

After finishing my military service, I took several months to try to develop skill sets that could help me to better understand and communicate with those displaced by conflict. I used some of this time to attain a working level fluency in French and refine my Arabic. In June of this year, I traveled to North Africa to put these skills into use. I talked with refugees fleeing from violence in central Africa and to Tunisians from all sectors of life. I was struck by the hopelessness by both the asylum seekers and many Tunisians. An anger at a perceived

neocolonialism, inadequacy of NGO and outside aid, and a double standard held by Western countries influenced many of my conversations while I was there. It was a great primer for the conversations and studies that I will engage and the issues I hope to address professionally.

Getting to know Tunisians and seeing great humanity in spite of quotidian challenges

In August of this year, I will depart for Tokyo beginning my studies in the Department of Public Policy at the International Christian University with a degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution. I am one of nine members of our cohort from across the world with a passion and background in peace and conflict resolution. During our two-year program I will have the opportunity to study under both academics and professionals in the field, travel together to visit sites within Japan’s own difficult militaristic history and design our own research project to delve deeper into our individual fields within Peace and Conflict Resolution. I plan to use this blog as a way that I can both consolidate my thoughts and experiences and share my experiences over the next two years. I look forward to sharing my journey with you!