In 2010, I was deployed to the Persian Gulf on the USS Milius, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, DDG 69. We were headed out to the fifth fleet to do “asset protection”, a cold phrase a later learned meant guarding an oil platform alongside British soldiers.
Over the years, my perception of our mission has shifted and my questioning of the narratives we were fed has increased. Who were the men we called pirates, in their tiny boats? And what chance did they stand against our $900 billion dollar warships with our tomahawks and guided missiles?
