Matt Pottinger tells his story in this a.m.'s Wall Street Journal.  It is unusual and interesting.
When people ask why I recently left The Wall Street Journal to join the Marines, I usually have a short answer. It felt like the time had come to stop reporting events and get more directly involved. But that's not the whole answer, and how I got to this point wasn't a straight line. . . .

Carl and others will appreciate the China connection.  Read the whole thing.