I am an Operation Iraqi Freedom Army veteran. I served on active duty for four years and have an honorable discharge. I am also a disabled veteran with a PTSD rating. I am a father, a son, a brother, and an uncle but also a friend.

I am also an inmate currently confined to the Arkansas Department of Corrections serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Because of this conviction, I forfeited my GI Bill benefits and a proper military burial, I no longer exist in the eyes of my country, nor do I matter. I served my country with honor and pride, I put my life and mental health on the line to keep Americans free.

Still, I do not matter.

You always hear the saying, “Never leave a man behind; we don’t leave our brothers on the battlefield.” I and thousands of other warriors have been left on the battlefield, forgotten in the penal system. We are here because the system did not work for us. We did our jobs the way we were taught and because we could not turn it off when we got home, people suffered.

 I will continue to wait until my brothers come for me.