A story from the early years of Operation Capitol Shield
“Don't Go Out Sad” (Washington, D.C., 2025) A story from the early years of Operation Capitol Shield Sean never liked the phrase “single parent.” Too clinical. Too easy to misunderstand. He wasn’t alone every day — his ex, Tasha, still took their daughter Mariah on alternate weekends when work didn’t get in the way — but for most nights, most mornings, and every school drop-off, it was just him and a nine-year-old who still called peanut butter “baby paste.” He used to worry about what she’d see growing up here, in Ward 7, two blocks from a Shell station that used to get robbed twice a month. But things had changed. Not in the way people expected — not by hiring more cops or cutting ribbons on new condos — but with the hum of diesel engines and boots in the schoolyard. It started slow in late 2023, when the President sent in the troops. Not the weekend Guard. The real thing. Camouflage, Humvees, radio squawk in the air. People freaked out — signs, lawsuits, segments on the e...
