This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Troy Smothers, a US Marine veteran sergeant who now runs American Made Freedom, a nonprofit that assists Ukrainian troops with fiber-optic drones. Business Insider verified his military records and deployment to Ukraine with the Department of Defense. The following has been edited for clarity and brevity. I was a standard infantry corporal in the Marines when I was sent to Odesa, Ukraine, in 2005. There were perhaps 100 of us, and our clear