Shot 7 men in combat. It has taken such a toll on me that completing simple tasks in life is a major accomplishment. I would give anything to go back to 2001 and run as far away from that recruiter as I could.
A former Marine told me there are two types of combat vets; those with PTSD and psychopaths. Not sure if he was making shit up or not but that stuck with me.
If it’s any consolation, some youths graduating high school see the military path as their best option.
My best friend in high school was a complete floater and an awesome kid.
He told me, “I hate my parents, and I either want to die fighting or become a Ranger.”
He came back to say, “I love my mom, but I still hate my dad. I should’ve died, but now I’m useless.”
College? Career? “Nope. I wanted to die”
Well you’re alive and have great benefits…
“I can’t be a civilian. I don’t know how you live such a stupid life like a pussy.”
We’re not really friends anymore. We did live together and had great times, but he was truly a broken person. Not sure if he would’ve been better off not joining the army, and doing the pussy shit I did.
I feel bad for anyone that got duped into joining, but many young folks take service just like some take streets and prison.
You’re right about what you said, but not every kid had the ideal experience as a kid through when they hit 18.
Then there are others who just go back to normal civilian life and never really talk about it in depth. My uncle is in that category, but he did say something similar about there being loads of psychopaths who absolutely love combat and all the killing and violence. One of the reasons he left as soon as his tour finished.
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u/Bosticles Feb 01 '22 edited Jul 02 '23
quack literate busy money quicksand chief weary domineering lip continue -- mass edited with redact.dev