Did Combat Change You?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Seacowboys, Oct 25, 2021.


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  1. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    It wasn't all bad, in fact, I had the most fun of my life doing some of the things I got to do, places I got to see, people I got to meet, all that! I have climbed mountains in places no one has heard of, swam waters no white man has ever seen, snuck into places no one in their right mind would ever want to go, and did it all with out anyone ever knowing I was there! I have jumped out of airplanes high above and was never seen, landed in places no one knew of, and did things no one noticed, until it was far too late for them! I have drank with some of the bravest of the brave, I have fought some of the best there ever was, and then bought them a drink after! I have walked into a Marines bar and never touched my wallet the whole night, and sat aboard with SEALS telling dirty jokes till the sun came up! I have looked across lands ablaze with fire and stinging smoke and remembered why we were there, and I have helped free the shit out of people, even when they didn't know it was freedom we were fighting so hard to giving them!

    I came home!
    I wasn't sure what home was after, everything had changed, I had missed all the changes, what was once a pretty fun place to live had been taken over by the left, where I was once welcome I was now an outsider, people looked at me strangely, almost like they were scared of me, the more I tried to blend in, the more I stuck out, so the wife and I left what was my home and moved to the mountains where I can see things from a far ways off, surrounded by good folk, many like my self, with many of the same old fashioned beliefs, and there I planted my flag!

    I'm ever so much older now, my armor isn't shiney and new, rather rusted and dented and scared, my sword isn't as razor sharp as it once was, and it feels heavy at hand, but by God, if there is a fight to come, let it find me ready. I may only have one fight left in me, but i will make it such a fight as to be remembered!
     
    Ura-Ki, Oct 27, 2021
    #21
    v0lcom13sn0w, Alf60, Yard Dart and 10 others like this.
  2. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    I won't even try to compare my own experience with that of a Vietnam Vet or WWII soldier. I do know that, even in modern war, as was my experience, I was not ever concerned about reintegrating with society because every second there was an IED with my name on it in theory. In the moment, you tell yourself it is what it is and you do your job. I suppose it's an afterthought when you're finally home, and after a while it slowly creeps up on you. Jokes aren't really funny, and all the civilians are not even relatable any more. Their problems don't compare with your own, and everything is easy in civilian life because the punishment for failure isn't a death sentence in nearly every case. Whatever shots they pumped into you over the years has screwed with your body to the point where your heart races uncontrollably at a rate that just doesn't seem possible. The chair you're sitting in or the bed you are laying in will vibrate because your heart is like machine gun fire. You try to work, but nobody understands how you can get through the day without goofing off and shirking your responsibilities and they become jealous. At home, your spouse or significant other becomes upset when you instantly rage at things you once never got worked up over. People start to fear you and stay away because you are not numb and calm and medicated and careless. You don't understand your feelings, but you like having them because it's the only part of you that is still alive. The entire world is a conglomeration of gray hues and there is no color left, but it still beats being shoveled off the road by your buddies.
    Then again, I did have a car accident many years back on the highway and I wasn't so temperamental before then. A head injury can change a great deal in your mind, and even with time it can prove to be a surreal experience.
    Life is a really messed up trip, man. Got to try to relax and take it all in stride, don't sweat the small stuff.
     
    Brokor, Oct 27, 2021
    #22
    Bandit99, Ura-Ki, Yard Dart and 1 other person like this.
  3. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    If you say I want to kill gooks by the thousands, You're a loose cannon liability to the military...or so I've heard?
     
    Gator 45/70, Oct 27, 2021
    #23
    SB21, Ura-Ki and Yard Dart like this.
  4. nkawtg

    nkawtg Monkey+++

    My dad was a B-17 tail gunner stationed in England. He managed to survive 15 missions before he was injured by a V-1 Buzz Bomb while on a 3 day pass in London.
    I can't begin to understand the level of stress, fear, and total exhaustion he was subjected to on each mission whether they were "milk runs" or deep German penetration missions.
    I asked him later in life after my return from Southeast Asia how he managed to cope.
    He said unlike you, where you flew back to the states in one or two days, we took weeks to get back. During that time we had the opportunity to talk, decompress, and relate with each other, get things out in the open as it were.
     
    nkawtg, Oct 28, 2021
    #24
    Bandit99, Ura-Ki, Alf60 and 3 others like this.
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