X-Pat

It all starts with a name. X-pat is what I'm called now. It used to be Marine, Husband, and a host of other things. Now it's X-pat. X-pat stands for ex-patriot. Kind of sounds harsh, but that is my clasification now that I am a private contractor here in Iraq instead of with the military. Funny thing is, that I will be doing one of the same jobs I did when I was with the military, but now I get more money, better weapons, better equipment, and better living conditions. Go figure. So what's in a name? Not much. Everyone I work with was in the military and it's like never leaving. I can just wear khaki pants and polo shirts now, instead of a uniform. I'm still serving my country and protecting Her interests in one of the most dangerous places in the world (the only worst is D.C.). So the next time you here the word mercenary, think about those x-pats that are still serving their country, only in a different way.