Matthew Pottinger was a journalist in China, concerned about the country's drift toward authoritarianism, when he decided — at age 31 — to enlist in the U.S. Marines after the invasion of Iraq.
“Our form of government is not inevitable," Pottinger recalled thinking during an interview two years ago with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. "And it shouldn’t be taken for granted. But it’s a form of government very much worth fighting for.”
