Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76Plough Quarterly • Summer 2015 5 team’s first venture, one thing has become clear in their minds: those at the receiving end of their aid are not the only ones to benefit. Veteran Harry Golden, who served in the Navy and National Guard, was leading a platoon in Ramadi, Iraq, when it came under heavy fire. He was transported home with a critical spinal cord injury. Now he speaks for many who are finding renewal in an unex- pected chance to do what they do best: I had spent the past seven years being pissed off at the world and drinking, like many of us do. That wasn’t getting me anywhere. I was aware of Team Rubicon, but wasn’t certain they would take me given my disabilities. . . . It’s good to feel needed again. Disaster is chaos, and what us combat veterans do best is chaos manage- ment. This is war: this is full-on combat on the front lines – without the violence. As a result of this mission, people are starting to understand us. I’ve found that I still have something to give. There’s still something there. I’m here helping people, but as a result, it’s saving my own life.  In the wake of the recent 7.8 magnitude earth- quake in Nepal, Team Rubicon has deployed a team to Kathmandu. Follow or support Opera- tion Tenzing and other Team Rubicon actions at www.teamrubiconusa.org. Crossing a New Rubicon In January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Thousands were killed, and almost a million people lost their homes and liveli- hoods in the space of a few minutes. Marine Corps veterans William McNulty and Jake Wood weren’t affiliated with any aid network, but in the first critical hours after the disaster they saw a gap that wasn’t being filled fast enough. They teamed up with six other veterans and first responders and traveled to Haiti, carrying medical supplies donated by friends and family. The scale of the catastrophe called to mind a combat zone, and they found that their battle training now stood them in good stead as they ventured into unstable, overlooked areas to rescue survivors, provide triage, and dispense food. This first spontaneous deployment proved contagious, as other veterans teamed up to intervene in disasters closer to home: Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the devastating Midwestern tornadoes, and more recently, flooding in rural West Virginia. As the program expanded, it was dubbed Team Rubicon, connoting an expedi- tionary force that doesn’t turn back. Five years after the Photographs courtesy of Team Rubicon Fa m i ly a n d F r i e n d s BY MAUREEN SWINGER