How Would You Know?

This morning I woke to a disturbing question, asked of my friend. My friend has been through war more than once. He is a US Marine, twice enlisted, and has served in the Coast Gaurd. War changes us. The changes don't end with the soldier; it ends when everyone the soldier knows has seen first-hand the physical and emotional toll the war has taken.

We see the torment of a man who has buried multiple friends. We see the confusion of being alive, when our closest members have been killed, when he wasn't. The only thing we don't see are the actual life-changing events that took place when an enemy fired back. We never see what it was really like. Unless you know one of these warriors, you could never know what happens after experiencing the horror of war. Our minds are not designed to process war, so a soldier must do what it takes to find peace after having killed, and survived attempts on his life. There is no doctor on Earth who can heal some of these wounds.

Back to my friend. I haven't seen him in quite a long time, but we have the type of bond that time cannot quench. He is one of those people like a sibling; it doesn't matter where we are, we are connected. We met in church when I was 15. He is a year older, so I was able to have a ride before most fifteen year olds do. We used to roam the streets of West Mobile; the epicenter of suburbia. The rest of our time together was spent doing things that teenage gen x'ers did in the early nineties...

The question that was asked of him was in response to what he consistently posts on facebook. Like me, he is not a religious man. His beliefs have been solidified by something that both keeps him whole, and introspective. There are many routes and many methods to heal our minds. There is the "do nothing and hope it gets better method". Unfortunately, our brains do not regenerate; only your liver does that. Inorganic brain disorders tend to worsen over time, and can actually be degenerative leading to self-medication that will only speed up the process.

Then you have the "medical route". This route can be like chasing the white rabbit; especially in the military. In my research they are inadequately staffed to thoroughly follow through with the right kind of therapy. Sometimes the meds help, but without meaningful council it is a temporary solution to a life-long issue. The biggest problem with medical treatment for an invisible wound is the soldier himself; they are taught to be machines and that teaching repels many from that route. Treatment doesn't match up with the teaching.

The third route has a few ways to achieve true healing after constantly seeing death for an extended period. Most of us think about the military as one huge unit, lined up face-to-face with an enemy. That style of warfare has been antiquated ca. WWll. These small groups of elite Marines fight guerrila style now, and I would imagine it to be more like a hunt. Our sighted enemies in the Middle East hide. The difference between the way we played hide and seek and the way they do is far more dangerous. They plant bombs in inconspicuous places, and they hide in superior elevated positions, and they do it well. It is their backyard, and they almost always have the advantage. The truth is that each one of these groups of soldiers are made up of individuals. Imagine how each one is effected by the sight of war.

My friend has chosen the third option. He has been spared death for reasons beyond natural explanation. He is alive, but it is not for chance. What he learned, as I have, is that when things happen that cannot be explained we are led to the same conclusion. The conclusion is that there has to be a larger force than humanity. These events suck every ounce of Deism from us and lead us to a creator. For some reason this creator wants some of us alive to serve a purpose. Who knows what that may be, but it happens. In the case of my friend, his purpose is blooming out of nothing more than that faith. So far I have seen the words he says to everyone, unabashedly, and it is not simple belief, it is raw conviction.

This man whom I do not know has a problem with this, and asked this question, "Sorry, but it's not normal you write every day that stuff here. Is it worth the time and effort?"

Is it? Does this guy really know my friend? I don't know, but I have a feeling that this guy believes in nothing. It doesn't anger me or surprise me. I think this opinion is common. Why worry about our friends being actors in a film that really happened when we can watch it on television? Who cares about the military? Has anyone seen the difference between the politicians/generals who make the decisions, and the enlisted? The difference is glaring. The next time you see a "Pentagon Official" pressuring Congress for more weapons, think about how different their agenda is from our friends that are doing the "dirty work of battle hymns". At the very least, don't judge one of our warriors for his convictions. He is doing what he is trained to do, he is elite, and he should never be grouped in with people he will never meet, nor those who do not care to meet him.

His choice of healing is his, and is working, and helping others who take the time to comprehend what he is writing. To answer that man's question; It is normal to think, to write down what you think, and is worth the time. At least someone has the courage to share it with everyone he knows, even if it is spiritual.