R and R
Rest and recreation. R&R. Two weeks of fun, friends and family. A wonderful time.
Or is it?
There's a brotherhood that is formed when you spend every hour, of every day for months on end with men who you come to depend on. Men who you know will sacrifice everything to help you and for who you would do whatever is necessary. It's hard to leave because you all depend on each other.
Coming home is a mixed bag of emotions. You're elated and you're depressed. You're happy and you're sad. The friends you counted on at home have their own lives, their own schedules - things are different now. Everyone leading an individaul life. You want to be with those you love and care about but they can't put their lives on hold.
The friends you count on in your squad are different. The guys you spend your days with are always there for you. You're part of the team. A piece of the whole. You feel the same emotions, you fear the same things. You have a group focus - the individual doesn't exist.
Coming home is more of a reality check than it is to be in a war zone. Day to day life at home seems so foreign to you now. You wonder why those around you worry over trivial things and don't seem to have a grasp of what's really important. Reality slaps you in the face and suddenly you yearn for the only home you've known for months. You long to be with the friends you've made. You want to feel the brotherhood - it's comforting.
Your experiences have changed you. You look at life differently. Family becomes more important than it has ever been before. You try to pack as much as you can into those 14 days. You need an emotional charge that has to last for the many months ahead. A simple hug or handshake is overflowing with emotion. People you had never spent more than a few minutes with before you shipped out become a vital link to home and you want to talk to them for hours.
And if you're lucky enough to have a special person in your life you worry about them even more when you leave again. You've only had a few days to reconnect and you hope you both have the strength to get through the months to come. A handful of days lifted from a year - you force yourself to remember every second, every nuance, every touch because you will need those memories in the time you are apart to give you the strength to make it.
When all is said and done you cherish the time you've had at home, accept your responsibilites and return to finish your deployment.
His return flight to Iraq left on Thursday, April 8th 2004 at 2:55 PM.
Or is it?
There's a brotherhood that is formed when you spend every hour, of every day for months on end with men who you come to depend on. Men who you know will sacrifice everything to help you and for who you would do whatever is necessary. It's hard to leave because you all depend on each other.
Coming home is a mixed bag of emotions. You're elated and you're depressed. You're happy and you're sad. The friends you counted on at home have their own lives, their own schedules - things are different now. Everyone leading an individaul life. You want to be with those you love and care about but they can't put their lives on hold.
The friends you count on in your squad are different. The guys you spend your days with are always there for you. You're part of the team. A piece of the whole. You feel the same emotions, you fear the same things. You have a group focus - the individual doesn't exist.
Coming home is more of a reality check than it is to be in a war zone. Day to day life at home seems so foreign to you now. You wonder why those around you worry over trivial things and don't seem to have a grasp of what's really important. Reality slaps you in the face and suddenly you yearn for the only home you've known for months. You long to be with the friends you've made. You want to feel the brotherhood - it's comforting.
Your experiences have changed you. You look at life differently. Family becomes more important than it has ever been before. You try to pack as much as you can into those 14 days. You need an emotional charge that has to last for the many months ahead. A simple hug or handshake is overflowing with emotion. People you had never spent more than a few minutes with before you shipped out become a vital link to home and you want to talk to them for hours.
And if you're lucky enough to have a special person in your life you worry about them even more when you leave again. You've only had a few days to reconnect and you hope you both have the strength to get through the months to come. A handful of days lifted from a year - you force yourself to remember every second, every nuance, every touch because you will need those memories in the time you are apart to give you the strength to make it.
When all is said and done you cherish the time you've had at home, accept your responsibilites and return to finish your deployment.
His return flight to Iraq left on Thursday, April 8th 2004 at 2:55 PM.
posted by deesci | 11:44 PM
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