Owen Pritchett

Compelling Creative Nonfiction Essay

Faculty Mentor: Vicky Bond

Owen is a 23-year-old veteran of the U.S. Army and a first-year student at John Jay College, where he is majoring in Political Science. He was born and raised in the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. From a young age, he had a love for reading. However, after a tumultuous high school experience and no sense of direction, he enlisted in the military as an Infantryman in hopes of structure and excitement.

Upon completing basic training, he received orders for the 3rd Infantry Regiment “The Old Guard,” at Fort Myer, Virginia, where he was a casket bearer for privates, generals, and even President Jimmy Carter.

His time and experiences in the military forced him to examine the military-industrial complex, the nature of service, its impacts on soldiers and military families, and its impact on the countless nations whose people are greatly impacted by U.S. foreign policy.

Owen plans on attending law school after obtaining his undergraduate degree. He hopes to mold his passions and life experiences into a career battling corporate greed and bringing accountability to white-collar crime

Click here to read Pritchetts’s piece “The Weight of Service.”