It costs a lot to take a stand. Major Jason Watson knew this, and spoke out anyway. Facing the reality of not only imprisonment, but of a potential loss of income and the retirement he was a mere three years from, the Major made the decision to put his oath first. While Major Watson accepted this as a necessary sacrifice, deterring people from speaking up doesn’t end with the individual- the system also penalizes their families by design. This made the decision to take a stand unlike any most of us will ever face. In the end, Major Watson feared his children may grow up in a world in which the death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. Being a father that stood by and did nothing while it happened isn’t something he wanted.
Please consider contributing to his children to lessen the burden the Major’s family now bears alone. All donations will go to his children through a trust under the sole care of their mother. This man stood for us, now let’s stand for him.
Jason has asked for this statement to be included here-
The costs that my family endured, through no fault of their own, because of my decisions are immeasurable. That is most pronounced in the case of my ex-wife and our two young children. At a minimum, my children will no longer receive military health care benefits and will never have the advantage of the financial stability that my military retirement would have provided: an estimated $3.5M over my next 35 years of life, starting in less than 3 years.
Instead, I face the possible outcome of years behind bars, depriving my family further of my income as a source of support. I have always been the sole provider for my family. These circumstances will severely limit the financial support available to my children, assuring them hardships that I should suffer alone.
The support I have already received for my legal defense has been nothing short of incredible. However, I owe it to donors to use those funds strictly in the context of how it was requested - for legal defense. I have been doing just that. I assembled a superb legal team with ambitious case-related expenses pursued to ensure our defense has the best possible chance. All of this to say that I am using the funds as intended, and the new fund is not for me, but for the benefit of my children to mitigate costs they will have to pay before this is all over.
As always, I am incredibly grateful for the immense support I have received. My primary concern is not for me, but for my children, which is why I chose this path in the first place: To give them an opportunity to have a much brighter future than the present.
