About Jimmy Watson
Jimmy G. Watson
Email: [email protected]
BIO: Marine Corps/ Blackwater/ Navy SEAL/ CEO Team McAfee
Jimmy Watson has dedicated his life to disciplined training, military service, and special operations on multiple war fronts. Jimmy was only 17 years old when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1999 and after two deployments to Afghanistan (OEF) he transitioned to contracting for Blackwater USA. During the next four years, he fulfilled multiple leadership roles as Agent in Charge in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Team Leader for multiple Counter Assault Teams in Baghdad, Iraq. Jimmy has a wide range of multifaceted experiences and mission sets across the globe; including, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Columbia, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Africa and worked for Background Asia conducting anti-piracy suppression. Jimmy has numerous decorations and honors. One award, was for continuing to fight after being wounded and repelling an insurgent attack that overran his position. Jimmy smoked a cigarette and said, “What else was I going to do?” Jimmy graduated Basic Underwater Demolition School and SEAL Qualification Training Class 283. Jimmy excelled as a Naval Special Warfare Operator Petty Officer First Class and special missions unit Team Leader, point man, and sniper. Jimmy’s broad range of experience encompasses 12 combat deployments and numerous other missions spanning from 1999 to 2019. Jimmy received a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from the University of Charleston, West Virginia. In 2017, he Honorably Retired from the Navy to become the CEO of Team McAfee, for the late John McAfee, Founder of McAfee Anti Virus.
For the People
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Mathew 19:26
America has been in the clutches of war for 20 years thus leaving a tidal wave of implausible destruction for anyone who participated. For our law enforcement, emergency and military service members, traumatic events may last a few minutes but the aftermath can last a lifetime. Sitting in a lonely dark hospital room, I penned, “War is no match for her aftermath.” Drug addiction is the leading cause of our homeless veterans and the byproduct of pain medication prescribed for combat related injuries. Self medicating and alcohol seems like the “go to” solution for drowning memories of traumatic events. Each day, veterans and their loved ones are led down an ominous path that leads to divorce or the tragedy of suicide. The psychological burden of “mans inhumanly to man” can rob the otherwise peaceful conscious. Thomas Jefferson said, “The tree of liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” His assessment seems valid yet it leaves the unanswered question: Was Iraq and Afghanistan for American liberty? I’m not sure if either fit Jefferson’s requirements. Like Vietnam, many veterans believe their sacrifice only watered political motives rather than liberty. Whatever the motive, our sacrifice was not in vain.
During my time at James Haley Veterans hospital, I shared the poly traumatic ward with fellow veterans. I had conducted multiple deployments as a Marine Corps Squad Leader in Afghanistan, Blackwater Team Leader in Iraq, and U.S. Navy SEAL Sniper. Now, we all felt washed ashore and forgotten. We had survived the treacherous storm at sea, but now we were left with a broken spirit. It took me several years of hard drinking and living on the edge of death to realize I needed a radical change. My entire life, I was told about the love of Jesus Christ and the absolute forgiveness he offered, but I rejected the truth somewhere in the ambiguity of war. I tried everything the world offered to cope with or mask my problems but it only abandoned me. With no hope left, I knelt down beside my hospital bed and surrendered my life to God. There was no instant change and I had no idea what was ahead of me, but God began to do a work. There is no amount of alcohol or pills that can fill the empty space that war or some other traumatic episode leaves, but allowing Jesus into my hardened heart restored that broken mighty spirit. I urge those who suffer, as I did, to leave the past behind and understand it is not too late. Become what you have always been… a Mighty Warrior.
Your friend,
Jimmy Watson
