gmhTODAY 18 gmhToday Feb March 2018 | Page 89

Author’s Corner Continued from page 72 in making that happen. That was significant to us because in a lot of these conflicts you don't get measurable succcess,” he said. Their operation was ended after it was determined that it was no longer possible for their enemies to operate in the valley. Unfortunately in the hand-off process, the new team “just wanted to kill Taliban, so they went in with less of a partnership approach and they killed some folks they shouldn’t have.” Sadly the peace did not last. Now, if you include the three valleys that join with Pech, this area has become the most violent part of Afghanistan, he said. “Seventy per- cent of all bombs in the entire country were dropped in that one spot.” He hopes that his book can provide some strategies for future military operations. After leaving the military in 2005, he made his way into the medical device industry where he started selling pacemakers. Eventually he opened his own company, Cardio Surgical Partners, which helps open cardiology surgery centers. While he loves his work, he admits that he will always miss his time as a Green Beret. “It was the best job I ever had. The job satisfaction of what we did in Afghanistan has been hard to replicate in civilian life.” The other men who were on his team have told him they feel similarly. However, he’s found ways to keep doing good in the world. He’s working on a charity that helps bring ablations and heart therapies to third world countries, and has been trying to get his Afghan interpret- er a visa to come to the states. “His life has been threatened for years.” And there’s interest from Hollywood in making a movie of his book. “I’m working with guys writing a screenplay for it.” While he’s fully integrated back into civilian life, with his wife and five kids, who range in age from 19 to 7, he said of his time in Afghanistan, “It feels like yesterday. I still identify as an Army officer and Green Beret, no matter what I do.” Rotary Club of Gilroy Scholarship Applications Accepted Until Friday, February 28, 2018 Up to $52,000 in college scholarships, offered by the Rotary Club of Gilroy, will go to qualified high school seniors graduating in 2018 who will enter their first year of college in Fall 2018, and Gavilan or other students who are transferring to a four-year college in Fall 2018. Details and applications available at http://www.gilroyrotary.org/projects/scholarships.php. GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 gmhtoday.com 89