When I returned from Iraq with the U.S. Army in 2010, I walked through the airport into a scene of clapping, waving flags, and family reunions. I smiled. It was good to see—even if my own family couldn’t make it, even if I slipped back into civilian life without a hug or a handshake.

Years later, when I came home from Afghanistan as a private military contractor, the first words from a Department of Homeland Security agent were: “What were you doing abroad?” I tossed my CAC card in his direction and answered, “Serving my country—same as you.” That ended the conversation. I walked out free.

But this summer, when I returned from Ukraine, the reception was different. DHS agents pulled me aside, seized my phone, ordered me to surrender my password, and questioned me for four hours. I had

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