1st Ranger Battalion veteran Grant McGarry has found purpose after transitioning from military service by channeling his energy into pursuits that enable him to continue to fulfill Ranger Creed. The same desire that drove McGarry to volunteer to attend the Ranger and Assessment 1 course and excel as a team leader in 1st Ranger Battalion after graduation from the University of Alabama in 2006 continues to fuel is personal and professional life as a veteran small business owner.
"From the moment I watched the Twin Towers fall in my senior year of high school, up until the moment I joined the Army during my senior year of college, I wanted to fight the War on Terror," McGarry said. "To serve was a calling, no one was going to get in my way of me being able to serve. I felt obligated to shoulder more than my share of the task, and furthermore I wanted to see if I had what it took to serve with the best."
After five combat deployments, McGarry accomplished his initial enlistment goals and was ready to apply his leadership skills refined at the US Army Ranger School and as a 75th Ranger Regiment noncommissioned officer in the corporate world.
Upon embarking on an initial assignment at Coca-Cola's world headquarters in Atlanta, McGarry found himself longing for the sense of community that he had come to love during his time at 1st Ranger Battalion.
"Rangers are willing to do whatever the task may be, they are the warrior class of our country and we must acknowledge and support them because they are preserving our freedom every day," McGarry said.
The desire to give back led McGarry to the establishment of Live the Ranger Creed, LLC. and the publishing of his memoir "A Night in the Pech Valley", a tribute to his fallen Ranger Spec. Christopher Wright.
"My life's work is about taking the experience I have had and sharing them to opening doors for others, just like my mentors at 1st Ranger Battalion did for me," McGarry stated.
After seeing how "A Night in the Pech Valley" resonated with so many others veterans of the Global War on Terror, McGarry was motivated to find a way to maintain a lasting impact on Rangers and members of the special operations community. This September, McGarry's Live the Ranger Creed purchased a 351-acre hunting camp located just outside of Fort Benning, Georgia to assist active duty and veterans through therapeutic recreation activities such as hunting.
"There is nothing like spending time in the outdoors with others to bring out one's true self; however, hunting can be an expensive pursuit," McGarry said. "We have built a utilization model that allows for Rangers and benevolent partners of the United States Special Operations Command Care Coalition to use the land for no cost, essentially creating a team approach to therapeutic recreation."
The USSOCOM Command Care Coalition is one of five Department of Defense warrior care programs. Through partnership with the Care Coalition, McGarry believes Live the Ranger Creed is best aligned to provide a sustainable option by parenting with likeminded organizations.
For more information on McGarry and his veteran-focused initiatives visit http://www.livetherangercreed.com.
Disclaimer: The article is not a Department of Defense or 75th Ranger Regiment endorsement of any non-federal entity in this feature story.
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