Garrett Nicholas Cole is a freelance writer and photojournalist, currently based in Japan. Journalism has been his passion since high school and permeates his life to this day.
Since 2006, he has been a military combat correspondent who has produced and published military-related media for national and international audiences.
When it comes to storytelling, his goal stem from his motto that "everyone has a story, I just want to help tell it." His love for investigative journalism began during a college lecture in which a guest speaker in his journalism class spoke about a story linking the tragic bombings of Oklahoma City to the Taliban in the Philipines. From a young age, he was always fascinated by detective and noir stories about journalists. One could also say that Jimmy Olsen was a bigger influence than Clark Kent. He loved the idea of getting out in the street and abstracting the truth from the muck.
The foundation of his journalism career was built on education received from Department of Defense public affairs-related training. He also holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Hawaii Pacific University, where he was mentored by veteran journalists. He's covered stories for national and international audiences and has utilized and managed a variety of communication tools, website content management systems, and social media resources. As a military journalist, he's led dynamic teams, provided mentorship, and covered stories on a wide range of topics. In the civilian sector, he's had the privilege to write for publications such as Midweek’s Hawaii Marine Newspaper, Bishop Museum, Kaneohe Magazine, and Wasabi Magazine.
In the future, he hopes to travel and tell stories that are not showcased to the rest of the world. Some of his biggest influences are Hunter S. Thompson, Guy Delisle, Joe Sacco, Harvey Pekar, Shane Smith of Vice, and Anthony Boudain. Garrett is married to the love of his wife and father to three boys. In his spare time, he creates indie comic books for his "ColeVerse," he loves punk rock, and is a huge fan of Arsenal FC.
