Grandfather With No Military Training Sells His Belongings To Fight ISIS After Brother Was Killed In Iraq

I love this shit. It gets by blood pumping knowing that the world is full of bros and broettes much braver than I am. Would I love to take our some ISIS animals? For sure. But I’d also like to go to my buddy’s roofdeck party at the end of the month. I’m a meek, spineless soul.

And then there’s this 53-year-old British grandfather named Jim Atherton, who sold his valuables and left his wife, three children, and four rescued dachshunds to fight jihadists in Iraq.

The former van-driver has no previous military training and sold his Sierra Cosworth car, two motorbikes and a boat to help pay for his $3,500 worth of kit which includes a Glock pistol, an AK-47 machine gun and a shotgun, according to the Daily Mail.

Per Atherton’s Facebook, here is a visual representation of what the grandfather had to give up to become eligible to fight.

If that seems like a lot to give up just to go kill a few bad guys, consider that his brother Sean died fighting in Iraq in 2006 and his father was a former soldier. It’s personal.

Atherton spoke with the Sun about his motives.

“It’s something I felt I had to do. I wanted my grandkids to know what I’m really about.

‘Watching what IS are doing just beats me up. Nobody seemed to be doing anything about it, so I decided that I would.

I’m a middle-aged white van man. I thought if I’m going to do anything with myself it’s going to be now.”

Atherton, who suffered a heart attack in 2007, now fights on the front lines of a voluntary group called Dwekh Nawsha, consisting of volunteer soldiers from Europe, Australia and the US, whose mission is to protect the local Christian population in Iraqi villages. The group operates a rotation system with half of the group on leave at all times, allowing Atherton plenty of downtime to update his friends and family on his experience via social media.

He claims that since he’s been a part of the mission, he’s never stood so tall and felt so proud of himself.

He’s posted the following clear-headed sentiment on Facebook.

“I’m not anti-Islam, I’m not a violent person and I’m deffo (sic) not a killer…[but] I’m willing to fight that fight for those who can’t.

And if my time comes to an end here and Sean calls me to sit with him then know I’m happy and done my small part to help rid the world of the blackness and that I’ve now many many many brothers.”

Atherton recently flew back to Britain for a two-week break, where his family and national security officers advised him to stay.

He declined, and is currently stationed in Dohuk, Kurdistan, fighting the good fight.

[h/t Elite Daily]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.