As a former soldier, I’ve seen conflict from the inside—the structure, the strategy, and too often, the suffering. But as cogs in the U.S. war machine, we were really just tourists. We’d enter a conflict zone for a few months, run our missions, and leave. And that was usually the end of the story. We went back to our lives in the States, rarely worrying about the aftermath left in a foreign land. Helping, feeding, rebuilding—the “hearts and minds” work—was never the infantryman’s prerogative.

This summer, I came face to face with those left behind. The so-called “collateral damage.” And this time, helping them was my job.

5 ladies from Waneno Anyim, receiving their sewing machines

Nothing prepared me for the quiet strength I would witness in northern Uganda. The women of Waneno Anyim (WA) [Acholi: Focus on the Future] are survivors of war—not just its violence, but its long shadows: displacement, trauma, and generational poverty.

The sewing machines had already been delivered when I arrived at the GDPO compound, a concrete sign of the efforts, compromises, and negotiations that unfolded over the summer. What once felt like an abstract goal had taken material form. It felt like a milestone—not just for them, but for all of us who had a hand in pushing this dream forward.

Nighty begins training WAW members in the use of sewing machines

WAW isn’t just a sewing group. It’s a statement of defiance against what Joseph Kony and the LRA tried to destroy. These women are rebuilding their lives on their own terms—not waiting for outside solutions. My role has been to stand beside them—not as a savior, but as someone who understands what war takes, and who wants to help them reclaim something in return. Still, when they said “thank you”, I felt a sense of pride in my work that I hadn’t felt during my years of ‘service’.

The sewing machines, the training, the business plan—these are just tools. What’s really happening here is healing. It’s what happens when former fighters support former victims. When those trained to break things learn to build again. And when community rises from the ruins of conflict.

One last photo; Nighty, Myself, Nancy, Margaret, Concy, after some truly moving good-byes