Facing a New Fight

The final numbers aren't in yet but the indication is that over 250 Stryker Brigade Soldiers were wounded and 15 killed during the past year - and the numbers are probably really much higher. Twenty eight of those wounded and four of the dead are from the 1-14 Cavalry - a group of men only 400 strong. Homecoming is bitter sweet for the men leaving Kuwait today. They have lost friends in combat and watched many of their wounded buddies "evac" to Germany and the US during the past months.

They face a new fight now. They have to adjust to a new way of life and for many it will be an uphill battle. These men haven't walked down a city street in almost a year without a weapon in their hands and a platoon of armed men with them. They haven't passed a civilian on the street without first giving thought to how they will defend themselves if things turn hostile. They have spent nearly every waking hour dressed in a Kevlar vest and helmet. They will feel exposed and defenseless for weeks, if not months, to come.

Stryker drivers have to un-learn twelve months of defensive driving. Toyota pickups coming down on-ramps to the Interstate will cause vivid memories to replay in their minds. They have to forget about the jack rabbit starts and the overly wide turns on corners. They have to learn how to stop planning the least dangerous way of extracting themselves from the center of a city. A habit of passing cars parked on the curb by using the oncoming lane has to be overcome.

Sleeping. These men are conditioned to perform on as little as four hours a night of sleep, for weeks on end. Catching forty winks when they can. Many won't adjust sleep patterns for months and some will always and forever wake in the middle of the night because of dreams that won't go away. Reaching out in the dark for a carbine that is usually right beside them and then momentarily panicking when it's not there.

The deployment is over but their fight may not be.