Trump will never understand Marines like me | Opinion

"I vividly remember the first time I encountered death in the Marine Corps. I was a first lieutenant and my company's executive officer in Afghanistan. It was daytime in early December 2010. I was running my unit's combat operations center when Marines in an area several kilometers away started scrambling to save the life of a fellow Marine who was critically injured by an improvised explosive device.

I listened over the radio to monitor the casualty evacuation. The difficult terrain, IED-infested roads and distance made it almost impossible to send vehicular support. The Marines at the scene did their best to stabilize their injured squadmate and sent for an air evacuation. I'll never forget the moment the helicopters went "wheels up," as they flew the Marine to urgent medical care.

We learned the next day that the Marine had died. After months of seeing serious injuries across the battalion, I remember that night changing everything for me. I learned to truly hate war. After four years in the U.S. Naval Academy and seven years of honorable service in the U.S. Marine Corps, I resigned from my commission as a captain in 2012" Kyle Bibby , Former Marine Corps Infantry Officer & Veteran of the Afghanistan War.