Josh Manning

I grew up in Missoula, Montana, which is a liberal hippie town in the western part of the state. I protested the first Gulf War but always had an appreciation for those who fought. In 2001, I lost my job as a newspaper reporter and it made sense to me to join the Army as more wars loomed. I served as an intelligence analyst from 2002 through 2009. I worked at the tactical unit level with the Big Red One (First Infantry Division) then worked another few years at the strategic command level for European Command. I deployed to Iraq twice in uniform--one year with the BRO and another six month tour supporting Special Operations Forces. I went to work for the Defense Intelligence Agency as a civilian in 2009 and deployed another six months supporting mostly Special Operations Forces. I left D.C. to come back home to Montana. Like anyone here, I have struggled with fighting in a war that I did not believe in. I did it for my brothers and sisters in uniform and think about them every day. Having a movement of veterans who have been burnt by war to keep our policymakers honest is a tremendous development for this country.