vetswife...

i had a platoon sergeant that said this:

'the army is like football - you train and train and train for the day they put you in the game.'

thats the best synopsys for the army that i have heard yet, or any military organization for that matter.

i would say most combat troops wear thier awards in silence - we don't talk to the layperson about our jobs and what we have done because the general person is very misinformed about exactly what we do and how we do it. they don't understand that given certain circumstances someone you know isn't going to go home and theres nothing we can do about it. it sometimes places an unbearable load on our shoulders.

most units train together, sleep together, eat together, shower together. its more intimate at times than your own marriage. the situations that we are placed in demand it for our own sanity. movies and pictures can never capture camradre. i have friends that i have fought next to that are to this day closer and understand me better than my own family at times. its sad to say but very true.

we fight our battles with friends and return home to be misunderstood, miscatagorized, mistreated (medically), and judged.

i can't speak for everyone, but i only talk of my experiences when the situation permits and the person i am presenting to has an open mind. if that doesn't happen i am fighting a loosing battle of 'what ifs'.

in all honesty its easier to have silent support for who i am as a person that to be constantly told that something is wrong with me. i am who i am now becasue of what i have done and been through.

thank you