Andrew Eveland

I enlisted in the Army in the Summer of 2001 for the extremely patriotic reasons of college money, security clearance, and the opportunity to learn a foreign language. I had notions of being in the CIA if I decided that my primary plan of going to law school proved too dull. I, of course, did not know that half way through basic training 19 members of Al-Qaeda would launch attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, changing my life's path. Having enlisted as a soldier led me to a year of combat operations in Iraq. Wanting a security clearance and foreign language led me to learning Arabic and becoming an intelligence collector and analyst. This path took me through 16 years of counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, regime change, and special operations. What was supposed to be a side-quest turned into the primary mission and what I've diluted to a few sentences is actually a mural, patterned in struggle, highlighted in victories and lives saved, and shadowed in the loss of friends and comrades, and 'enemies' killed, who I never forgot were people too. This life provided me with great purpose, but also cost me humanity. Killing is unnatural, no matter your cause, and its price is steep. Now, I live in Sandersville, Georgia, about an hour and a half from Augusta, where I spent a good portion of my life working for everyone's favorite alcoholic uncle, the US government. Making art, whether acrylic paintings, charcoal, pencil drawings, painted miniatures, is one of my loves.... but I do other stuff too. Until recently, I was a teacher, because kids are awesome and adults are tedious. I love the outdoors and sneak off to the northwoods whenever humanly possible. I am married to an amazing accomplished wife and have three kids, all boys, God help me.