Rye Barcott

CEO & Co-founder @withhonoraction @CFKAfric. Marine veteran and social entrepreneur. Author of Courage Can Save US. Views are my own.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Last night, on the USMC birthday and the eve of Veterans Day, the @UofDenver launched the John and Sandy Miller National Academy for Free Expression and Pluralism.

President George W. Bush joined founding executive director @mkcary, a former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, for a fireside chat. Nadine Strossen, former president of the @ACLU, asked who had seen polarization strain conversations in their own family. Every hand went up.

I had to Google "pluralism" before my remarks. It means engaging across differences. Our country was founded on that ideal and has strived toward it ever since, at times imperfectly, and with courage. E Pluribus Unum.

I spent part of Veterans Day with DU's student veterans. My dog Cisco came in a flight jacket in honor of President Bush, a former Air National Guard pilot.

Thank you, @DU_chancellor and DU. And thank you to everyone who served. #EPluribusUnum

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Who do you think about on Veterans Day? Jim McCain asked me that in a conversation for the @McCainInstitute about Courage Can Save US.

Jim enlisted in the Marines at 17. His father was a senator. He had other options.

Thanks, Jim. And thank you to everyone who served, and to their families. They serve too.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Happy 251st birthday, Marines! Semper Fidelis. 🇺🇸

Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining fellow Marine Corps veteran Jim McCain and the @McCainInstitute for a conversation about Courage Can Save US and to pay tribute to the Marines who came before us.

Our conversation included reflections on several books that profoundly influenced Jim and me in our decisions to become Marines, including works by three Marine veterans and extraordinary writers: William Manchester, Philip Caputo, and Robert Timberg.

I’ll never forget first meeting Bob Timberg, who bore severe burns from his service in Vietnam. Despite his injuries, I never once heard him complain. His remarkable book, The Nightingale’s Song, which profiled John McCain and other veterans, became a model for me as I thought about writing Courage Can Save US: how to tell a compelling, well-paced, ultimately uplifting story while remaining faithful to the facts.

Watch the full discussion here: https://t.co/lijRIEs2fM

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Thank you, @FT, for naming Courage Can Save US among your pick of the best politics books. I'm an FT reader, and its motto is itself an expression of courage: "Without fear and without favour."

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Journalist @hugorifkind of @thetimes asked me the day after the midterms whether the US military trends Republican, and whether it has much patience for radical politics that leave little room for patriotism.

A fair question. My answer in this clip, and why I keep coming back to service as the thing that unites us.

[James Cleverly🇬🇧 @JamesCleverly]

This is why I love London.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Westminster Abbey’s Field of Remembrance, a few days before Remembrance Sunday. Across London this week, people of every generation wore the poppy.

On Sunday, the country will stand for the two-minute silence and the Ode of Remembrance, four lines from Laurence Binyon’s 1914 poem “For the Fallen.” The Ode closes this video. I found the plots for the British regiments I served alongside. It was moving to stand there. God bless them all.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Day 4 in the UK. Last day, great finale.

Started fresh in the Serpentine at Hyde Park with Royal Marine Commando and great bloke @jason_carl_fox, host of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Foxy’s latest book, Embrace the Chaos, is a great read (particularly recommend it for parents of teenagers to read with their kids).

Wrapped up at the @I_W_M Churchill War Rooms with @authordlewis, who has masterfully chronicled Churchill’s hands-on leadership in establishing Britain’s special forces during WWII. He faced resistance from conventional military leaders, who chafed at the unconventional, egalitarian, merit-based ethos of these new units.

Moving to reflect on Churchill’s physical and moral courage in the very bunker where he led Britain through its darkest hours, helping turn a nation from the brink of defeat toward victory. It was, at times, a lonely journey.

Thank you, UK. A special relationship indeed. We carry on. Courage can save us. 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Courage is service for the common good. Welcome to the new veterans joining Congress who've signed the @WithHonorAction pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and the courage to work across party lines.

From a good chat on the midterms across the pond with @hugorifkind and @timesradio London.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

"True courage is selfless. It is doing the right thing for the greater good, for something bigger than you." 🎖️

@jason_carl_fox on what Britain can take from the US midterms: democracy still works. Whichever party we back, we should come together and act courageously for everyone. 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

"People want honest, trustworthy, and courageous politicians to lead their country." 🏛️

@AlistairCarns on what the US midterms mean for Britain: voters rejected the politics of the last two years and want courage, integrity, and trust in the system.

We want the same thing here in the US.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Americans are fed up with the state of politics, and they have used the ballot box to say so. 🗳️

@Scaramucci sees hope in that for Britain too. A country can correct course. 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Yes, you can serve with civility, courage, and integrity. That is what Americans want.

Allies like Britain can take confidence from these midterms. The democratic process works. Checks and balances held. Voters were heard.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Day 3 in the UK.

Started at Parliament with @FredThomasUK, a former Royal Marines officer. He pushed his own party's leadership to protect kids under sixteen from social media, and the government listened. That's courage.

Caught up with @lionelbarber, former editor of the Financial Times, who moderated our book launch at the Tower of London with Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

Stopped at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. This week, Londoners of every age and walk of life are wearing poppies on their lapels. So were the students at @Caterham_School, many of whom come from around the world.

Ended at Caterham with a talk on courage. Then the students showed what it looks like: each made a case for something they cared about and defended it under questioning. They gave me hope for the future.

Teachers and school leaders: request a copy at https://t.co/6hYQjwHsBc. Thanks to a @WithHonorAction donor, we have books and a teacher guide for classrooms.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Walking through Westminster today, the Ukrainian flag was flying on almost every government building 🇬🇧🇺🇦

In the UK, support for Ukraine runs through every party. I hope the midterm results are a clear signal to the Trump administration and to Congress, in both parties, to stand with our Ukrainian allies. @WithHonorAction will stay committed.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Highlights from Day 2 in London.

Morning on @TimesRadio with @hugorifkind. Then a roundtable with @Scaramucci and journalists from @TheEconomist, @TheSun, @HuffPostUK, and @ObserverUK. @BBCArabic with Tony El-Khoury, followed by a long sit-down with David Williamson of @Daily_Express at Portcullis House.

Closed the night at @howtoacademy with @AlistairCarns, Anthony Scaramucci and @jason_carl_fox, moderated by @MatthewdAncona.

The US midterms came up in every room. So did the question underneath them: what courage asks of leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tonight: Caterham School, where a donor to With Honor is putting free copies in the hands of students. If you know a teacher in the US or UK who'd want the book for their classroom, point them to https://t.co/6hYQjwHsBc, and we'll send one. Thanks to every teacher doing this work.

Courage Can Save Us is out now in the UK.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Divided government is coming to Washington. But power has changed hands in 10 of the last 11 election cycles; majorities come and go, and laws that last need votes from both parties.

And the UK isn't immune. Recent Focaldata polling found 77% of Britons say their country is divided, and 64% believe a politician pays for taking an unpopular stand within their own party. This week I'm spending time here in the UK with British MPs from both sides of the House who work across the aisle and do it anyway.

More new veterans heading to Congress have pledged to do the same. Now they have to find common ground and get things done, for America and for allies like the UK.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Up at 6 a.m. in London for the midterm results, then straight onto @TimesRadio with @hugorifkind.

What stood out: ➡️ A historic number of veterans ran ➡️ More than double the number of women veterans in past cycles ➡️ Women veterans in Congress will hit a record ➡️ Pledge-signers in Congress roughly steady, maybe ticking up.

Big results = big changes to come. https://t.co/VWUVoIPtG1

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Back in London.

First stop: @SALTConference London, where I sat down with @AlistairCarns MP to talk about renewing public service.

Al served as a Royal Marine. I served as a U.S. Marine. We don't agree on everything, but we share some common ground: working across party lines on the issues that matter most isn't optional for democracies that want to last.

Across the pond, today's midterms are a reminder of what's at stake. A record number of veterans are on the ballot this cycle, and those who win will have a chance to show what principled leadership looks like.

The alliance between our two countries runs on relationships like this one. Good to be here.

[Rye Barcott @ryebarcott]

Thanks to @johnkwerner for his review of Courage Can Save US in @Forbes. He makes a point I agree with: cross-party collaboration matters more than ever as we navigate the uncertainty of AI, and we can't afford to let AI policy become another culture war issue where emotion and identity matter more than facts.

You can read the full review here: https://t.co/jmk0JSt12s