Scars And Stripes

"From decorated Green Beret sniper, UFC headliner, and all around badass, Tim Kennedy, a rollicking, inspirational memoir offering lessons in how to embrace failure and weather storms, in order to unlock the strongest version of yourself. Tim Kennedy has a problem; he only feels alive right before he's about to die. Kennedy, a Green Beret, decorated Army sniper, and UFC headliner, has tackled a bull with his bare hands, jumped out of airplanes, dove to the depths of the ocean, and traveled the world hunting poachers, human traffickers, and the Taliban. But he's also the same man who got kicked out of the police department, fire department, and as an EMT, before getting two women pregnant four days apart, and finally, been beaten up by his Special Forces colleagues for, quite simply, "being a selfish asshole." In Scars and Stripes, Kennedy describes how these failures shaped him into the successful businessman and devoted husband and father he is today. Through unbelievably vivid, wild anecdotes Kennedy reveals all the dumb, violent, embarrassing, and undeniably heroic things he's done in his life, including multiple combat missions in Afghanistan, building a school in Texas for elementary kids, and creating two-multimillion-dollar businesses. You will learn that failure isn't the end-rather it's the first step towards unearthing the best version of yourself and finding success, no matter how overwhelming the setbacks may feel"--

This collection was generated by ideas derived from assignments and projects from my College years, enhanced by the general knowledge I received growing and learning in the Islands which I cherish so dearly. Having gone through the process of working, work-shopping and reworking the pieces, I was able to take what I deemed worthy to come up with these fictional representation of my experiences, incorporating my figurative account of the dilemma the transition to New York life added, creating entertainment for those worthy; also serving as a reminder to those who may have forgotten, FROM WHENCE WE CAME.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Some 10 million US visa applications are filed each year. 40 percent will get denied. Only 10 percent will get Permanent resident “Green-cards”. Scars & Stripes records the 20-year journey of one family through the Immigration System, defying repeated denials, corrupt and incompetent immigration lawyers, and questionable conduct by the United States Citizenship & Immigration Service and Department of State, to become one of the 10 percent.

The letter from the author reads: I wrote most of the following poems in 2015 during an adventure of travel and soul-searching. Some are years older but still applicable. I drove across the United States alone for 30 days. I attended body suspension events in 6 cities and met too many amazing people to count. I challenged myself to open up and discover new situations every day, which has helped bolster my self-esteem and ward off once crippling anxiety and depression. ""Scars and Stripes"" is a poetry memoir that speaks of issues with depression, isolation, addiction, self-injury and other destructive paths. But I would like to believe it comes full circle to convey a message of hope, strength, and the importance of personal freedom.