Why I Started The Patriot Moniker
I have spent a long time trying to explain why I started The Patriot Moniker. The simplest answer is this: I did not start The Patriot Moniker so much as it started me.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to serve my country in the military. As a boy, I imagined becoming a commanding general like Washington, Grant, Sherman, or Patton. But I was born with impaired hearing, and no matter how strong the desire was, military service was never going to be open to me. That dream was broken before I had a chance to pursue it.
I was left without anything to replace it. I went through school without a clear destination, feeling as though good grades, a diploma, or even a degree would make little difference. I was aimless. I also struggled for years to keep stable employment without understanding why. It would take nearly forty years before I learned that I had lived with chronic depression and severely impairing ADHD for much of my life.
Eventually, my health created another turning point. After two forceful chiropractic adjustments on consecutive days, I experienced intense neurological symptoms: buzzing in my head, twitching, shaking, numbness, burning, and pain. The nearest comparison I can offer is a head-on collision on a football field that went horribly wrong. My doctor ordered spinal imaging, and the examinations that followed uncovered serious health problems that had previously gone undiagnosed. Whatever work I had once been able to do physically was no longer sustainable. I went from being able to stand for a twelve-hour shift to struggling to remain on my feet for more than a short time without pain and collapse.
It was one of the darkest periods of my life. The old dream of military service was long gone, my employment options had collapsed along with my physical strength, and I could no longer rely on my body as I once had. I had no plans, no ideas, and could see no clear road forward… So one night, I bowed my knee. My pride was gone, and my heart was broken and despairing. I asked Jesus what He wanted me to do with this life, because I had no plan, no goal, and no sense of purpose. Scripture says that the proud will be humbled. I had been humbled. That night, I was expecting only silence; I was expecting nothing, just absence, just my own breath…but, in that moment, as the tears flowed, my heart became peaceful as I heard and felt the answer…
The answer that I got was most unexpected: return to college (my first attempt was a disaster) and build a website called The Patriot Moniker (I didn’t pick that name). Both seemed beyond me. I thought I had burned my bridge with college years earlier, and I knew almost nothing about building a website. Still, I took the next step. To my surprise, I was accepted back into school. Then, little by little, I learned that I could build the site. I also discovered something else I never expected: writing, which I had disliked since childhood, had become a joy and a form of healing; I do not know how long my health will allow me to write. I only know that I intend to keep writing for as long as I am able, and I am at peace with whatever time God gives me.
The name The Patriot Moniker reflects the purpose of the project. A moniker is a name by which someone is known, but being a patriot must mean more than wearing a label. It means knowing what we have inherited, recognizing what has been lost, and accepting responsibility for what we pass on to those who come after us. Patriotism without truth becomes empty sentiment. Faith without the courage to live it becomes equally hollow.
That is why The Patriot Moniker will bring together Christianity, American history, the principles of the founding, theology, books, sermons, cultural commentary, and the practical lessons I am still learning. I do not claim to have every answer. The purpose is to ask necessary questions, recover neglected wisdom, preserve valuable writings, and offer readers the materials they need to think carefully for themselves.
We have forgotten so much about who we are, who we were, and who we might become again if we repent and change our course. The next generation should not have to begin with nothing. It should have access to history, Scripture, arguments, and examples that can help it recognize the problems before us and respond with wisdom, conviction, and courage.
The Patriot Moniker has become my way of serving my country when the kind of service I first imagined was no longer possible. What began in a season when I believed I had nothing left has given me a reason to study, learn, write, build, and look toward the future again. That future may be dark if nothing changes, but darkness is not a reason to surrender. I hope that The Patriot Moniker will help others do the same—not merely to call themselves patriots, but to understand what is worth preserving and become faithful stewards of it.