It was a treat to sit down with my brother, Jason Barrett. I was curious about how his time serving in the Marine Corps affected him. Believe it or not, we had not ever really talked about it. He shares stories of facing his fears, witnessing death, informing loved ones of their son or daughter's untimely death and how all of this has shaped his perspective on life. What shines through is Jason's commitment to making this precious and precarious life count.

Jason joined the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo team in December 2020, moving from Colorado in the United States of America to take on the role. Jason joined the Tattoo with over 10 years’ experience in the hospitality industry and has held various Chief Executive and Management roles in the US.

Prior to this, Jason had a distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps. He served 20 years as an infantry officer where he held leadership positions, teaching leadership as well as being involved in high-level strategic planning. Jason retired from the Marine Corps as Lieutenant Colonel in 2010 having led over 1,000 marines with $150 million in assets.

Notably, during his time with the military, Jason served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has written procedures for managing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the Marine Corps.