This is a controversy topic with that some people believe gun ownership is something that shouldn't exist or be extremely limited. I'm the kind of guy who believes that as long as you don't have a felony or criminal charges pending against you that you should be able to own a firearm. I do not think that we need all the legislation that we currently have in place nor the agencies that make people anxious about owning a gun.
I believe with a simple course taught by well rounded professional instructor we can teach people how to safely and effectively own any type of firearm that said person(s) wants to own. Make the case that everyone should have a right to defend themselves and to enjoy some plinking along with the other shooting sports which can involve some pretty serious leagues if you do get into it.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Experiences Part 4
Man what a week this has been! Some days have been while others have been down right awful and yet life goes on while I'm trying to keep up. Well I think I know where this blog is headed because of recent events therefore I know I need to blog about it.
Well time to go back in time a few years lol more like five to be exact. I remember the events of that day just like every other major event that happened while I was in Iraq and that's just like yesterday. It doesn't take much for me to recall the sights, sounds, and quietness as well. Some may ask, " How can their be quietness in war?" Well hopefully I can show you through my writing what the quietness of war is like and how that plays out in my story.
So here's the setting: Its now late March 2007 and I'm on a small patrol base in southern Iraq and there's desert as far as the eye can see with a few roads around our base that we could see. That morning was just like any other morning in Iraq or so I thought. I remember sitting in our communication building just going about our normal business when the tower aka guy on the berm called in that there was an explosion out by an oil pipeline. I walked outside to spot what had happened, but before I could get on to the berm to see what had happened rockets started raining down all around our little patrol base. I remember what is was like having the first one land and explode, I never thought I could put my body armor on so fast. Within minutes the rockets were landing all around us, but not one hit within our base nor was any damage done. There was a lull in that time when everything seemed to just be still. It seemed like eternity honestly. There was probably 5 or 6 of us outside this bunker when the quietness hit or what is typically called a lull when it comes to combat. We waited and listened to see if we could hear anymore rockets that when 2 or 3 more came down.
The whole event probably lasted only 10-20minutes and then it was all over. In the coming days we would soon learn just how big these rockets were and just how many were shot at us. We found pieces of shrapnel from these rockets and let me tell you if they'd hit anything we would have a major problem. In the following days we couldn't hardly sit still at the sound of a door being shut, we were all pretty jumpy honestly. I just remember the day when we got a new member who hadn't down much with his unit and that first day I was ready to knock him out. He was our cook and therefore was going through our freezers, tossing everything around which made me jump every couple of minutes. Finally I went over there and had a few choice words with him and that settled things down pretty good.
Well one more blog down and an untold more to go I guess. The sun has finally come through and we don't have anymore fog our nasty cloud cover which makes me very happy! This post hasn't been as hard as some of the others have been for me to write which is nice, but this still helps me to put things in perspective now that I'm home and still trying to figure out which direction I want to go with my life. Thank you for taking the time out to read my blog and as always Take care and God Bless!:)
© Nathan Fahlin
Well time to go back in time a few years lol more like five to be exact. I remember the events of that day just like every other major event that happened while I was in Iraq and that's just like yesterday. It doesn't take much for me to recall the sights, sounds, and quietness as well. Some may ask, " How can their be quietness in war?" Well hopefully I can show you through my writing what the quietness of war is like and how that plays out in my story.
So here's the setting: Its now late March 2007 and I'm on a small patrol base in southern Iraq and there's desert as far as the eye can see with a few roads around our base that we could see. That morning was just like any other morning in Iraq or so I thought. I remember sitting in our communication building just going about our normal business when the tower aka guy on the berm called in that there was an explosion out by an oil pipeline. I walked outside to spot what had happened, but before I could get on to the berm to see what had happened rockets started raining down all around our little patrol base. I remember what is was like having the first one land and explode, I never thought I could put my body armor on so fast. Within minutes the rockets were landing all around us, but not one hit within our base nor was any damage done. There was a lull in that time when everything seemed to just be still. It seemed like eternity honestly. There was probably 5 or 6 of us outside this bunker when the quietness hit or what is typically called a lull when it comes to combat. We waited and listened to see if we could hear anymore rockets that when 2 or 3 more came down.
The whole event probably lasted only 10-20minutes and then it was all over. In the coming days we would soon learn just how big these rockets were and just how many were shot at us. We found pieces of shrapnel from these rockets and let me tell you if they'd hit anything we would have a major problem. In the following days we couldn't hardly sit still at the sound of a door being shut, we were all pretty jumpy honestly. I just remember the day when we got a new member who hadn't down much with his unit and that first day I was ready to knock him out. He was our cook and therefore was going through our freezers, tossing everything around which made me jump every couple of minutes. Finally I went over there and had a few choice words with him and that settled things down pretty good.
Well one more blog down and an untold more to go I guess. The sun has finally come through and we don't have anymore fog our nasty cloud cover which makes me very happy! This post hasn't been as hard as some of the others have been for me to write which is nice, but this still helps me to put things in perspective now that I'm home and still trying to figure out which direction I want to go with my life. Thank you for taking the time out to read my blog and as always Take care and God Bless!:)
© Nathan Fahlin
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Blog 4 : Virtues
Humility is one of my better traits, but it has to be used in the right context therefore showing people that you are humble. Being humble is a good thing and can also be a bad thing as well. An example of what humility looks like for me and in my life when people give me praise for doing something good I simply take the complement and move on. The only words I utter are usually, "Thanks." or "Thank you", but the reality is I hold on to that complement for the future because it allows me to remember what I've done well with.
Tranquility is one that's been hard for me to understand and grasp. I do believe that has a lot to do with my personality honestly. I'm constantly working on changing that part because there are times when I get disturbed by something that shouldn't draw my focus and yet it does. I can think about days where something little just gets under my skin and there goes my day lol! It's a bit ridiculous honestly because too many days have been trashed by letting the little things get underneath my skin.
If I wanted to keep track of my virtues I'm sure I could, but it's not something that appeals to me simply because I'd rather not know and focus on what's ahead of my days where keeping track could possibly pull my focus off track for that day.
Tranquility is one that's been hard for me to understand and grasp. I do believe that has a lot to do with my personality honestly. I'm constantly working on changing that part because there are times when I get disturbed by something that shouldn't draw my focus and yet it does. I can think about days where something little just gets under my skin and there goes my day lol! It's a bit ridiculous honestly because too many days have been trashed by letting the little things get underneath my skin.
If I wanted to keep track of my virtues I'm sure I could, but it's not something that appeals to me simply because I'd rather not know and focus on what's ahead of my days where keeping track could possibly pull my focus off track for that day.
Blog 3: Naturalization and Constitution
After reading through bits of the Constitution I've decided to talk about the Second Amendment. Probably one of the most argued, fought over, and disliked Amendment because it talks about the Right to Keep and Bare Arms. Along with a well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of the free state.
People have tired for years if not decades to remove this amendment from the constitution which I don't believe that is something our founding fathers would agree with. I do believe that there is a place for this amendment and that it does still serve a purpose in our modern world. People can make arguments that guns kill people, but the reality of it that people always have and always will kill people. They will kill regardless of what tool they want to use to kill someone.
People have tired for years if not decades to remove this amendment from the constitution which I don't believe that is something our founding fathers would agree with. I do believe that there is a place for this amendment and that it does still serve a purpose in our modern world. People can make arguments that guns kill people, but the reality of it that people always have and always will kill people. They will kill regardless of what tool they want to use to kill someone.
Friday, March 16, 2012
" I am an Infantryman"
INFANTRYMEN come in all shapes, shades, weights, sizes, states of sobriety, misery, and confusion. They are sly as a fox, have the nerve of a dope addict, the sincerity of a politician, and the subtly of Mt. Saint Helen. They are extremely irresistible, totally irrational and completely indestructible.
An Infantryman is a Soldier all his life even if only for a few years of that life. He is a magical creature. You can kick him out of your house but not out of your heart. You can take him off your mailing list but not off your mind. Soldiers are found everywhere... in love...in battle... in lust... in trouble...in debt...in bars and ... behind them. No one can write so seldom and yet think so much of you. No one else can get so much enjoyment out of a letter or clean clothes or a six pack.
An infantryman is a genius with a deck of cards. A millionaire without a cent and brave without a grain of sense. HE IS THE PROTECTOR OF AMERICA! When he wants something, it's usually 30 days leave, music that hurts the ears, a five dollar bill...or a woman he can count on.
Girls love them, mothers tolerate them, fathers brag about them,
the government pays them, the police watch out for them and somehow they all work together.
You can beat their bodies, but not their minds. You can tame their hearts, but not their souls.
He likes girls, chow, females,dip, women,alcohol, ladies, did I say alcohol?, and the opposite sex.
Infantrymen dislike small checks, working weekends, answering letters, waking up, maintaining a uniform, and the day before payday.
You may as well give in. An Infantryman is your long distance lover... they are your steely-eyed, warm-smiling, blank-minded, hyper-active, over-reacting, curious, passionate, talented, spontaneous, physically fit, good for nothing bundle of worry.....
And he will always be there for you, regardless of how long its been since you've last talked.
If you are an Infantryman or just support them, repost this!
© Nathan Fahlin
An Infantryman is a Soldier all his life even if only for a few years of that life. He is a magical creature. You can kick him out of your house but not out of your heart. You can take him off your mailing list but not off your mind. Soldiers are found everywhere... in love...in battle... in lust... in trouble...in debt...in bars and ... behind them. No one can write so seldom and yet think so much of you. No one else can get so much enjoyment out of a letter or clean clothes or a six pack.
An infantryman is a genius with a deck of cards. A millionaire without a cent and brave without a grain of sense. HE IS THE PROTECTOR OF AMERICA! When he wants something, it's usually 30 days leave, music that hurts the ears, a five dollar bill...or a woman he can count on.
Girls love them, mothers tolerate them, fathers brag about them,
the government pays them, the police watch out for them and somehow they all work together.
You can beat their bodies, but not their minds. You can tame their hearts, but not their souls.
He likes girls, chow, females,dip, women,alcohol, ladies, did I say alcohol?, and the opposite sex.
Infantrymen dislike small checks, working weekends, answering letters, waking up, maintaining a uniform, and the day before payday.
You may as well give in. An Infantryman is your long distance lover... they are your steely-eyed, warm-smiling, blank-minded, hyper-active, over-reacting, curious, passionate, talented, spontaneous, physically fit, good for nothing bundle of worry.....
And he will always be there for you, regardless of how long its been since you've last talked.
If you are an Infantryman or just support them, repost this!
© Nathan Fahlin
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Blog 2: The Disappearing Act
"But they're there: The young men who are working in the lowest-level (and most dangerous) jobs instead of going to college. Who are sitting in prison instead of going to college. Who are staying out of the long term marriage pool because they have little to offer to young women. Who are remaining adolescents, wasting years of their lives playing video games for hours a day, until they're in their thirties, by which time the world has passed them by. pp 176"
I chose this topic because as a guy I can relate to what we as guys struggle with. I think society does a poor job as to show what being a man really is and to be honest I see very few qualities that are true traits of men. The video games, lack of attention in classrooms, and the fact that we don't learn the same as our counterparts makes this a daunting challenge for guys to overcome.
I know there's a lot of people saying that men still rule the world along with corporate America. That's fine and dandy, but what's being done to help improve the the curve for men ? Honestly I think part of what needs to be done is change how we teach our youth. No more of this take notes and listen to the teacher while they ramble on, yet the guys in the class could really give two hoots what the instructor is talking about. Get them engaged! ADD and ADHD are probably over diagnosed honestly, as a society we don't understand that men learn differently. The article constantly shows how men are falling away from higher education. What we have here is multiple failures as a society and a few them are: forcing guys to learn a specific way, learning disabilities being over diagnosed when it's just boys being boys, and single moms trying to raise a boy the correct way. These are things that need to be addressed and the only one that really can't be addressed by us as a nation is single parenting specifically single Moms parenting boys.
In my opinion I do believe we need to tailor learning to help the guys who are struggling in school because let's be honest here. If things keep going the direction they are it won't be good and guys will continue to decline in higher education levels. I think we as a society really need to stop putting a label on a kid for just being a boy. There are legitimate cases where boys do have ADD or ADHD then at that point the parents need to make the right choice to help their child so they can learn in class. I'm really not sure what to do about the video games honestly and I think there's other issues when they play for to long. I honestly believe people lose social skills when playing video games for hours on end.
I chose this topic because as a guy I can relate to what we as guys struggle with. I think society does a poor job as to show what being a man really is and to be honest I see very few qualities that are true traits of men. The video games, lack of attention in classrooms, and the fact that we don't learn the same as our counterparts makes this a daunting challenge for guys to overcome.
I know there's a lot of people saying that men still rule the world along with corporate America. That's fine and dandy, but what's being done to help improve the the curve for men ? Honestly I think part of what needs to be done is change how we teach our youth. No more of this take notes and listen to the teacher while they ramble on, yet the guys in the class could really give two hoots what the instructor is talking about. Get them engaged! ADD and ADHD are probably over diagnosed honestly, as a society we don't understand that men learn differently. The article constantly shows how men are falling away from higher education. What we have here is multiple failures as a society and a few them are: forcing guys to learn a specific way, learning disabilities being over diagnosed when it's just boys being boys, and single moms trying to raise a boy the correct way. These are things that need to be addressed and the only one that really can't be addressed by us as a nation is single parenting specifically single Moms parenting boys.
In my opinion I do believe we need to tailor learning to help the guys who are struggling in school because let's be honest here. If things keep going the direction they are it won't be good and guys will continue to decline in higher education levels. I think we as a society really need to stop putting a label on a kid for just being a boy. There are legitimate cases where boys do have ADD or ADHD then at that point the parents need to make the right choice to help their child so they can learn in class. I'm really not sure what to do about the video games honestly and I think there's other issues when they play for to long. I honestly believe people lose social skills when playing video games for hours on end.
"Disappearing Act: Where Have The Men Gone ? No Place Good." How to Write Anything. Comp. John J. Ruszkiewicz. 1st ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2009. 175-180. Print.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Appreciation
Today is a special day and only a few people know why besides me, but that's not why I'm sitting here typing this post today. Today I want to recognize three young ladies who through their posts, comments, and general interaction with my blog continue to give me hope and courage to keep the blog running. It was for this very reason that I started the blog honestly as to hopefully let people see the inside of what it's like being a veteran in a society that focuses on me more then anything else.
They will remain unknown, but if they read this they will know who they are. Each one of them has demonstrated very unique characteristics that allow them to see parts of who I am along with the reality that is faced by many returning veterans. They have shown me a different side of America and our society, they give me hope for the future of this country which at the moment looks rather bleak. The truth is I wouldn't of ever saw this coming honestly, never in my life did I think I would have people grabbing on to this. Being truly genuine and honest when posting comments or even reading my blog that means a lot to me because to many people in this world don't take the time to do something small, but exceptionally meaningful.
Here's what I've wanted to say, but felt the need to explain the circumstances to everyone who's following my blog.
To whom it may concern:
From one of your nation's veterans who's been struggling with readjusting to society and to life back in this country we live I would like to extend a heart felt thank you to three amazingly awesome young ladies. Your comments, general interaction, and genuineness are very much appreciated by this guy. When I look at you three I see a hope to continue on blogging and sharing my experiences. There are no words to express how much this has meant to me honestly. The courage, the hope is what I need and you three have given that to me. You don't sugar coat anything, you're honest, and real all things which I greatly appreciate! I hope that all three of you take the time to read this. Take care and may God Bless you!
Sincerely,
Nathan Fahlin
© Nathan Fahlin
They will remain unknown, but if they read this they will know who they are. Each one of them has demonstrated very unique characteristics that allow them to see parts of who I am along with the reality that is faced by many returning veterans. They have shown me a different side of America and our society, they give me hope for the future of this country which at the moment looks rather bleak. The truth is I wouldn't of ever saw this coming honestly, never in my life did I think I would have people grabbing on to this. Being truly genuine and honest when posting comments or even reading my blog that means a lot to me because to many people in this world don't take the time to do something small, but exceptionally meaningful.
Here's what I've wanted to say, but felt the need to explain the circumstances to everyone who's following my blog.
To whom it may concern:
From one of your nation's veterans who's been struggling with readjusting to society and to life back in this country we live I would like to extend a heart felt thank you to three amazingly awesome young ladies. Your comments, general interaction, and genuineness are very much appreciated by this guy. When I look at you three I see a hope to continue on blogging and sharing my experiences. There are no words to express how much this has meant to me honestly. The courage, the hope is what I need and you three have given that to me. You don't sugar coat anything, you're honest, and real all things which I greatly appreciate! I hope that all three of you take the time to read this. Take care and may God Bless you!
Sincerely,
Nathan Fahlin
© Nathan Fahlin
Monday, March 12, 2012
Blog 1: The Foreigner
Well this is an easy topic for me because I know what it's like feel like the foreigner because of the places I've been. For me this is more a reality that I fight with because of being a soldier who's gone to war for his country. Interaction between the local population of Iraq and even returning home from what I honestly felt like a foreigner. My experiences give me a certain perspective when I meet people from other countries who are maybe foreign exchange students and when meeting other veterans because we are all struggling to some degree adjusting being back into our own country.
In 2006 I was deployed with the Minnesota Army National Guard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and for the first six months of my fifteen month tour I was stationed on a small patrol base where I had a lot of interaction with the local population. I felt like a stranger to this land and I was. Learning the culture, the language and some basics of the religion they followed I began to understand what it must be like to be a foreigner in a foreign country. Even though I was a part of a military deployment around my friends and fellow soldiers I would feel out of place.
In 2007 I returned to the states, where I began the slow transition back into society. I struggle sometimes with feeling of culture shock because everything is completely different when it comes to how things work here versus how everything worked in Iraq. In Iraq we were all united under one common goal, but here back in the states people look out for number one meaning themselves. You realize that everybody is looking out themselves!
In 2006 I was deployed with the Minnesota Army National Guard in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and for the first six months of my fifteen month tour I was stationed on a small patrol base where I had a lot of interaction with the local population. I felt like a stranger to this land and I was. Learning the culture, the language and some basics of the religion they followed I began to understand what it must be like to be a foreigner in a foreign country. Even though I was a part of a military deployment around my friends and fellow soldiers I would feel out of place.
In 2007 I returned to the states, where I began the slow transition back into society. I struggle sometimes with feeling of culture shock because everything is completely different when it comes to how things work here versus how everything worked in Iraq. In Iraq we were all united under one common goal, but here back in the states people look out for number one meaning themselves. You realize that everybody is looking out themselves!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
"A Wonderful Night"
"A Wonderful Night"
Moon out bright
Stars out tonight
Not a cloud in sight
Such a wonderful night
My buddies in sight
Ready to do it right
Nothing but the truth is might
We prepare to fight
But no one else in sight
Now we return to our site
Unscathed tonight
Cause we were ready for the fight
Thanks to God’s might
Moon out bright
Stars out tonight
Not a cloud in sight
Such a wonderful night
Moon out bright
Stars out tonight
Not a cloud in sight
Such a wonderful night
My buddies in sight
Ready to do it right
Nothing but the truth is might
We prepare to fight
But no one else in sight
Now we return to our site
Unscathed tonight
Cause we were ready for the fight
Thanks to God’s might
Moon out bright
Stars out tonight
Not a cloud in sight
Such a wonderful night
Author Nathan Fahlin
© Nathan Fahlin
© Nathan Fahlin
"The Badge of Glory"
Of all the medal upon our chests
From battles and wars we knew,
The one admired as the very best,
Is the one of Infantry Blue.
It's only a rifle upon a wreath,
So why should it mean so much?
It is what it took to earn it,
That gives it it's magic touch.
To earn this special accolade
You faced enemy's fire.
Whether you survived or not,
God dialed that one desire.
For those of us who served the cause,
And brought glory to this nation,
It's the Combat Infantryman's Badge
That really tells the story.
Author Unknown
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The Reality of War
Well it's been a while since I've posted anything and so after watching a very powerful and moving video about a Joseph Kony who is a Child Army leader of a group called L.R.A. (Lords Resistance Army) I found myself thinking about the passions and desires that God has placed in my heart. Realizing that this guy needed to be stopped and watching the video unfold just hit home with me in a lot of different areas.
This is my reality and what I would like see brought out and educate the society that I live, to get people to realize, and to ultimately help veterans who struggle with P.T.S.D. , T.B.I. , anxiety, and all the other garbage that comes from war. I want to shed some light on this topic because I believe that there has been some grave misunderstandings in our society and that these men and women who have served selflessly for their country are just simply forgotten and to me it's to similar to Vietnam almost. Granted there isn't as many protesters, baby killer name calling, and overall violence against our troops. I know people don't have a clue as to how to interact or even know what to say when they meet a veteran. Most people kindly thank them for their service and move on about their day that is unless you live with one or have been close to one.
For veterans returning from war there is a ton of culture shock that happens and being home since 2007 I still to this day experience culture shock which is crazy because it'll be 5 years this summer since I returned from Iraq. I'll be honest with you I feel like an alien 6 days out of the 7 during the week. Every veteran is different in how the deal with the effects of combat situations and the reality of war some may deal with depression, anxiety, P.T.S.D., T.B.I., or they can struggle with multitudes of other mental or physical problems. Even a combination of both. Anyone who's been in combat and has trained for it may have the mentality that they don't need help or don't believe they have P.T.S.D. or any other issues, but the reality is that there is probably lingering effects. We all deal with situations differently and how we handle the stress of being constantly in a fight whether it's mentally, physically, or emotionally.
I'm going to share with all of my readers right now what life was like for me when I returned from war. I'll give you probably up the first year. The first three months of coming home were great! I enjoyed a great season of weather coming home in the late summer, life was grand and it was nice to see some green stuff again lol After the first few months and trying school again which I later withdrew from and I found a video game to keep me going depression hit in late October. At this point I had just did whatever I wanted and lived how I felt like I should considering I technically should be dead. The depression got bad around Christmas time when we had our 90 day reintegration process. A weeks few later we had our one year anniversary for our alive day. I just remember drinking as much as I could to try and suppress that memory, but it was futile because my buddy who sat across from was the one who had the worst physical injuries. It was just another reminder that constantly stared me back all night. It's now January and another Iraq buddy is in Duluth going to school at where I attend now. At this point is where I really started to self medicate and we would go out drink pretty good then I'd drive home some how. It wasn't until May of 2008 that I started seeking help and that's when things slowly changed for me. I started seeing a counselor which was helping for the depression, but I still was struggling with irritability, anxiety, and P.T.S.D. I was constantly arguing with my parents because neither of us knew how to interact with each other anymore. My anger flared up as I got into fights with a brother who bore my anger which he never should had to do and to this day there is a rift between us. I continued to deal with my issues with how I thought was best, but in reality it only made things worse for me. I can't believe I've put this much out there for others to read and to see just how tough it is to readjust from war, to understand or even try to comprehend what it's like for our men and women coming back from combat and seeing what they saw.
Now for the most part the depression is gone and the anxiety is slowing going away, but I'm still learning about the P.T.S.D. and what triggers that. I rightly don't how the rest of my life is going to look like honestly. My family doesn't really understand me and there's a lot of arguments between my parents and I. I really struggle with not going back into the military and being a part of something bigger, greater then myself. The reality is the only things that really keep me from not going back are these two things: My church! Yep that's right Anchor Pointers and other fellow believers who support me and pray for me and the second thing is that active duty Army doesn't want prior service, they want fresh blood. I continue to bring this up to God in prayers, conversations, and out of frustrations. People who don't know my story just look at me funny like the deer in the head light looks. As a vet I have a tendency to joke about anything that I can and sometimes it's wrong, but that was part of the culture I was a part of. Now I get to try and adjust into a society that is prominently selfish where people only look at their needs. Being a follower of Christ I get to choose to serve a greater purpose, to serve for something that's worth every bit of it.
I don't know how you will receive this message, but it's my hope that you will have just a little better understanding of just how tough it is for veterans to adjust coming home from war. That you begin to see into the lives of the veteran(s) in your lives and how they are fighting just to keep their feet on the ground. My prayer is that all of you who read this would have the grace, patience, love, and mercy when you meet a veteran who is just a little rough around the edges. That you would be able to show how much their service means to them. With that said take care and God Bless!
© Nathan Fahlin
This is my reality and what I would like see brought out and educate the society that I live, to get people to realize, and to ultimately help veterans who struggle with P.T.S.D. , T.B.I. , anxiety, and all the other garbage that comes from war. I want to shed some light on this topic because I believe that there has been some grave misunderstandings in our society and that these men and women who have served selflessly for their country are just simply forgotten and to me it's to similar to Vietnam almost. Granted there isn't as many protesters, baby killer name calling, and overall violence against our troops. I know people don't have a clue as to how to interact or even know what to say when they meet a veteran. Most people kindly thank them for their service and move on about their day that is unless you live with one or have been close to one.
For veterans returning from war there is a ton of culture shock that happens and being home since 2007 I still to this day experience culture shock which is crazy because it'll be 5 years this summer since I returned from Iraq. I'll be honest with you I feel like an alien 6 days out of the 7 during the week. Every veteran is different in how the deal with the effects of combat situations and the reality of war some may deal with depression, anxiety, P.T.S.D., T.B.I., or they can struggle with multitudes of other mental or physical problems. Even a combination of both. Anyone who's been in combat and has trained for it may have the mentality that they don't need help or don't believe they have P.T.S.D. or any other issues, but the reality is that there is probably lingering effects. We all deal with situations differently and how we handle the stress of being constantly in a fight whether it's mentally, physically, or emotionally.
I'm going to share with all of my readers right now what life was like for me when I returned from war. I'll give you probably up the first year. The first three months of coming home were great! I enjoyed a great season of weather coming home in the late summer, life was grand and it was nice to see some green stuff again lol After the first few months and trying school again which I later withdrew from and I found a video game to keep me going depression hit in late October. At this point I had just did whatever I wanted and lived how I felt like I should considering I technically should be dead. The depression got bad around Christmas time when we had our 90 day reintegration process. A weeks few later we had our one year anniversary for our alive day. I just remember drinking as much as I could to try and suppress that memory, but it was futile because my buddy who sat across from was the one who had the worst physical injuries. It was just another reminder that constantly stared me back all night. It's now January and another Iraq buddy is in Duluth going to school at where I attend now. At this point is where I really started to self medicate and we would go out drink pretty good then I'd drive home some how. It wasn't until May of 2008 that I started seeking help and that's when things slowly changed for me. I started seeing a counselor which was helping for the depression, but I still was struggling with irritability, anxiety, and P.T.S.D. I was constantly arguing with my parents because neither of us knew how to interact with each other anymore. My anger flared up as I got into fights with a brother who bore my anger which he never should had to do and to this day there is a rift between us. I continued to deal with my issues with how I thought was best, but in reality it only made things worse for me. I can't believe I've put this much out there for others to read and to see just how tough it is to readjust from war, to understand or even try to comprehend what it's like for our men and women coming back from combat and seeing what they saw.
Now for the most part the depression is gone and the anxiety is slowing going away, but I'm still learning about the P.T.S.D. and what triggers that. I rightly don't how the rest of my life is going to look like honestly. My family doesn't really understand me and there's a lot of arguments between my parents and I. I really struggle with not going back into the military and being a part of something bigger, greater then myself. The reality is the only things that really keep me from not going back are these two things: My church! Yep that's right Anchor Pointers and other fellow believers who support me and pray for me and the second thing is that active duty Army doesn't want prior service, they want fresh blood. I continue to bring this up to God in prayers, conversations, and out of frustrations. People who don't know my story just look at me funny like the deer in the head light looks. As a vet I have a tendency to joke about anything that I can and sometimes it's wrong, but that was part of the culture I was a part of. Now I get to try and adjust into a society that is prominently selfish where people only look at their needs. Being a follower of Christ I get to choose to serve a greater purpose, to serve for something that's worth every bit of it.
I don't know how you will receive this message, but it's my hope that you will have just a little better understanding of just how tough it is for veterans to adjust coming home from war. That you begin to see into the lives of the veteran(s) in your lives and how they are fighting just to keep their feet on the ground. My prayer is that all of you who read this would have the grace, patience, love, and mercy when you meet a veteran who is just a little rough around the edges. That you would be able to show how much their service means to them. With that said take care and God Bless!
© Nathan Fahlin
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