I appreciate that some people are upset with my presence in Afghanistan. I have no desire to lash out. I assume they are trying to accomplish their missions the same way I am trying to accomplish mine, and I love them for it. A few things, though:
1) I was not running around on my own. The Army doesn’t care that I have a lot of followers. It’s their battle space. The group I was attached to as a volunteer was listed in the command center as a supporting element. We were part of the team. Were that not the case,
I would not have been allowed to run around outside the wire.
2) People have referred to it as “Tim Kennedy’s Team.” That’s false and does a disservice to the the talented Team Leader a JPRA (joint personnel recovery agent) who has 10 years more experience than I do,
as well as my incredible teammates. All of whom were extraordinarily talented. I have been in SF for 17 years and I didn’t deserve to be with them. I was proud to be a part of it. I’m proud of our work.
3) We did not bring in “buses of unverified Afghans”.
We had multiple target sets coming from DC, as well as cultivated in our JOC. 300/500 we brought through the gate were orphans. Another 100 were Nazarene. The remainder were high value individuals assigned to us from higher echelon units,
and family members of crews that were flying our chartered planes all week.
4) A few guys posted that they were unable to get their own personnel through the gate as a result of our buses. I’m very sorry about that. If the roles were reversed, I would be furious at me too.
All I can say is that I was executing my assigned mission in order to save as many people as possible. When you’re a good person, and you’re motivated to help, passion runs high. They wouldn’t be as good as they are if they didn’t care.

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More from @TimKennedyMMA

4 Jul
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS.
Read it with your family.
Read it with your friends.
Read it in the streets.
Them remember it.

In Congress, July 4, 1776
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
Read 7 tweets
13 Mar
I will celebrate the Fourth of July by being free. Free of fear. Free of Tyranny. Free of unfair taxation. Free from the government dictating what freedoms I’m permitted. Free of all the things that we fought for during our revolutionary war. WE CAN be free again.
Our independence was won by the individual choosing freedom. At a time when We The People was the thing to be feared. I will remember the American courage that was the foundation of our united strength.
No one especially the government gets to tell us what we going to do with our families. No one especially the government gets to tell us what we are going do in our backyards. No one especially the government has the authority to dictate what freedoms we have.
Read 4 tweets
14 Jan
I find it infuriating to see the outrage over our soldiers sleeping at the capital. We have been at war for nearly 20 years. We have had soldiers sleep on the dirt floors of bathrooms in peasant villages. We have had soldiers electrocuted in showers built by local contractors.
We have had our soldiers blown up, maimed, tortured, burned alive, and hung from bridges. But now there is outrage because our soldiers are sleeping on the marble floors of our capital. Wherever you assign our military you will find sleeping soldiers.
They will sleep on everything and under anything. How many of our soldiers are sleeping in the sand in foreign lands tonight? I’m glad that they are there. I’m glad that they are going to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
Read 5 tweets
12 Sep 20
You said you would never forget. But judging by your actions, you forgot. These men and women will recklessly abandon any version of self-preservation for the protection of their community. They are still the same men and women that stand in front of you today.
They are not perfect but I know they care. I know they’ll do anything to include giving their own lives to protect you. They will die excruciating deaths from the most torturous forms of cancer from running into chemical dust clouds of falling buildings.
They’ll run into a burning building only to have it collapse on top of their heads in an effort to save your life. They haven’t changed.... You have. They still love you and are at the other end of the phone anytime you are in need.
Read 4 tweets
1 Sep 20
The rules I was raised with that I’m trying to pass on.
1. Humans are more important than Hardware.
2. Quality is better than Quantity.
3. Special things (especially people) cannot be mass produced.
4. Competence under stress cannot be created after emergencies occur.
5. You can’t do everything alone. It’s not bad to need help or ask for it.
6. Know how to shake a hand. Never do it sitting down, grip firmly and look them in the eye.
7. Learn how to cook.
8. Spend 30 min a day reading up on current events but know you aren’t an expert.
9. Request the late check.
10. Be a man of your word. Make a promise keep it.
11. Hold your heroes to a higher standard.
12. Return a borrowed car with a full tank of gas.
13. Whatever you do, do it with passion or don’t do it at all.
Read 8 tweets

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