brandonsurge

Sucks doesn't it? I'm former USAF, 23 years old, making $9 an hour working as a ramp agent, 32 hours a week, no benefits, so I can totally relate. I saw a mall cop a few months back looking really down, so I treated him to lunch at the food court. I hope that helped cheer him up a bit.

Good thing I recorded most of those un-edited episodes on VHS! Well, my parents did anyways...man VCR's are so cool...

I'm actually flying down to see my parents today (have to catch my flight in a couple of hours), so while I'm down there I'll rummage through the old VHS collections that Moms like to keep (in the same entertainment center from the early 90's as well) and see if they are there. I would be so beyond ecstatic if they are.

This is probably six hours too late, but I feel as though I'll give it a shot anyways:

I was deployed in 2010 to Qatar where I did see and participate in combat on multiple occasions that resulted in the deaths and maiming of many men. You say that you had eventually opened up about your experiences sometime after your transition to civilian life.

Enough beating around the bush I suppose. My question is, how exactly did you go about opening up about this sort of thing to those that cared about you? I know times have changed quite a bit since you probably went about this, but to give a very brief example, I feel part of the reason my fiancee had left me was because I had tried to open up to her about the things that I had saw and participated in over there. I haven't tried to talk to anyone about is since. I don't mean to word this in a way that makes me look like I need to talk about it, but I would certainly like to talk about it. I may have worded this entire thing incorrectly or given the wrong impression about myself, so please, don't feel obligated to answer if you have no idea what I am actually saying.

Anyways, from one former soldier to another, thank you very much for your service. I've looked up to you and people like you my entire life.

Edit: A few people have pointed out an error in my wording. Yes, I was deployed too Qatar, but of course, that was not where the events that I have been referring to took place. Qatar, at least the place I was at, is a very joyful green zone filled with swimming pools, shopping malls and jet ski's. Again, this was obviously not where any sort of fighting happened. Apologies for the confusion.

As someone who has been deployed and who has been asked this question many times, it upsets me more when people like you pretend to think that it is something that shouldn't be asked. Some sort of taboo that should never be mentioned. Killing in war happens. Just like eating and breathing and walking. It is more distasteful to me to see people act like you than the person who has the guts and the willpower to actually ask the question, someone who will probably never experience anything even close to taking another's life. Someone trying to learn more about the feelings that come up when killing another human being.