Your Entry Title Country Pride

Your NameRyan Buytenhuys


MediumMixed Media

Your ProfileI am a former US Marine and professional golfer. In 2005 I went back to work as a security specialist/contractor. I worked in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. I don't have an art background but have always designed and drawn my tattoos which have been inked around the world.

The Story Behind My AmericaMy American story started as a 13 year-old immigrant from South Africa, arriving in Maryland, close to Washington DC. I loved the architecture of DC, but only later did I fully understand its significance. I enlisted in the US Marine Corps when I was 18 finally understood what it meant to have pride in oneself and pride in country. I spent 6 years honorably serving and then chased the dream as a professional golfer with aspirations of one day playing in The Masters at Augusta National in Georgia. The road turned and I went to work as a private military contractor spending a decade working in support of the global war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. This gave me an enormous sense of pride, but left some emotional and physical scars, which sent me drifting off the road. Then I met a beautiful, smart, loving and caring girl, from Washington DC nonetheless, which is where we got married, and I was back on the road again. We headed south towards Augusta and settled in the great State of North Carolina and started a family. I drove by Ben's Ice Cream and Produce business on the side of Highway 211 every time we traveled to the OB/GYN and to Duke Regional where my son was born. It quickly became my favorite landmark. My Dad and I went there one day. Standing there eating ice cream, watching business bustle, looking at the American flag blowing in the wind, I once again felt a sense of pride. The road has been long, but I feel closer than ever to Augusta, GA. This is My America.

Contest Category