Nick Slatten is 34 years old and is from Sparta, Tennessee.  Those who know Nick know him to be a man who puts his faith in God and does his best to help anyone in need, whether that person be a life-long friend, an Iraqi he met on a peacekeeping mission, or a total stranger. 

The 9/11 attacks occurred when Nick was a senior in high school.  True to his nature, Nick answered our country’s cry for help by joining the Army straight after graduation.  As a soldier in the 82nd Airborne and a graduate of Army Sniper School, Nick served two tours in Iraq and rose to the rank of Sergeant before his honorable discharge in 2006.  Nick earned numerous awards and commendations for his service, including the Army Good Conduct Medal (for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity in active military service), the Combat Infantryman Badge (for performing duties under fire in active ground combat), and an Army Commendation Medal (for heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service).

After leaving the Army, Nick remained passionate about his service to our country and joined Blackwater Worldwide as a security contractor.  He then returned to Iraq to provide diplomatic security under Blackwater’s contract with the Department of State.  

In response to the allegations against Nick, many of those who served and worked with Nick have come forward, outraged.  Men with first-hand knowledge of Nick’s character and conduct under fire have described him as “a great man, a great leader, a great friend.”  Still another wrote a heartfelt letter to the judge, crediting Nick with saving his life during a firefight and stating that he could always count on Nick to keep him safe and get him home to his loved ones.

Those who know Nick know that he is not the monster the government intends to make him out to be through unsubstantiated gossip and an unsupported theory that Nick fired the first shots in Nisur Square for no reason other than animus and with no purpose other than to start a firefight.  Those who know Nick know that he would never take a life without just cause or put his team in harm’s way by firing without justification.  They know him to be a stand-up guy who loves his God, his family, his friends, and his brothers in arms.  They know that, even as Nick sits imprisoned, awaiting a third trial for a crime he did not commit, he still says he wants to “help people.”  The people who know Nick Slatten know that he is not guilty, and they also know Nick will be true to his word and help people when his new jury hears the truth and acquits him.