It began on Feb. 20, 2022. It ended on Nov. 9, 2025. It lasted 1,359 days.

When this column began more than 3 1/2 years ago, I pledged to provide content relevant to our military veteran community. Hopefully, I have done just that.

The goal of Behind Friendly Lines was to take veterans, spouses, family members, caregivers and survivors beyond the bureaucracy that is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and offer a perspective that made the behemoth VA seem, well, not so overwhelming.

You may be asking: Why the end of the relationship? Did Strickland get DOGE’d? He must have upset somebody at VA headquarters, right?

No, I didn’t succumb to Elon Musk’s welcome collision with the federal government to cut excess spending and maximize productivity — though that is now very old news.

Yes, I most likely (and on multiple occasions, no less) rubbed the “head shed” the wrong way with the initiatives I and my team took, the powerful content we provided, the passion to relentlessly serve our veterans, and the irrefutable results we delivered.

My content, and our team, served as a protagonist, an innovator, an entrepreneur. And if you’re one of those, you have enemies within. In the past several months, this became very clear.

Higher headquarters canceled the most prolific regular delivery of video health care content ever in VA history, our infotainment series called “The BLUF.”

Higher headquarters placed one of our public affairs officers on administrative leave for more than a month with no explanation or reasoning.

Higher headquarters canceled this Behind Friendly Lines column with no justification.

But let’s not dwell on the friction. Instead, allow me to zoom in on just a few of the successes, and some of my favorite columns, that have adorned The Gazette’s Springs Military Life section for 44 of the past 47 months.

Without a doubt, the most meaningful columns I shared centered on the topic of Memorial Day and how to honor our fallen brothers and sisters. From the testimony of survivors to volunteers at a few of our beautiful national cemeteries, sharing those powerful stories brought emotion that always tugged at my, and hopefully, your, heart.

The annual “12 Days of Vet-mas” served as another favorite, offering an opportunity to profile people and organizations having a tremendous impact on the Veteran community.

Spending one week each year writing about, and at, the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass always warmed my soul. I had the privilege to meet and tell the stories of U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Lauren Arduser, U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Garza, and U.S Navy veteran Jeremy Trammell Jr. Their testimonies were incredible, inspirational, and seemed impossible.

But between the “no” and the “yes,” I accepted an opportunity to serve a new audience, closer to my heart, nearer to my values, and adjacent to my neighborhood. I no longer work for VA, but I’m so grateful for the 10 years I had the honor to serve my brothers and sisters in arms. I now have the pleasure of continuing as a public servant in a new role as the chief communications officer for the city of Colorado Springs.

Finally, I offer special thanks to a few people who made this column a success.

The Gazette’s Jon Mitchell along with the rest of the staff, for allowing me to share this column the third Sunday of every month.

Kayla Giuliano, my deputy at VA, whose leadership of our organization allowed me the time to share this content with you. She was the cornerstone of our tremendous team.

Shawn Spitler, Luke Yanny, and Katie Beall, first-line supervisors and first-class creatives in our VISN 19 Creative Task Force. They brought passion and professionalism to their leadership roles along with inspiration and ingenuity to their organization.

I’ll end with a verse from Proverbs 16:9, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” I’m so grateful to the Lord who guides my path, and I’m excited for new opportunities that lie ahead.

Thanks for allowing me to walk alongside you behind friendly lines.

Victory!

Lt. Col. Jason T. Strickland, U.S. Army Retired), was the chief communications officer at the VA Rocky Mountain Network. He is now the chief communications officer at the City of Colorado Springs. Email: jason.strickland@coloradosprings.gov.