Barcelona: Day 86 : The War .

It blows my mind to think how long we've had troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. September 11th 2001 was the beginning of all that, and that was 10 years ago now and more. And now here we are still there, still fighting, still losing people everyday. Recently I re-watched the HBO series Band of Brothers. It's a bit hard to watch that knowing that it very well be the same sort of situations across the sea, with boys struggling as they see members of their platoon disappear, never to return to life, only to return to America in a coffin.


I think that one of the biggest problems is that even when the troops do return, how do they explain all that has happened? How do they begin to even try to convey what it was like being over there? Car bombings, mines, etc. I haven't been through it myself, but perhaps one day. I can't imagine adjusting to civilian life is easy, either. You go from high stress situations, sleeping with one eye open and a hand on your trigger, to trying to get a regular job and sleep next to your wife every night. What a skewed situation; I don't think I'd ever feel truly safe again no matter what I did.

And now as of late, it seems harder and harder for veterans to even find a civilian job. People are coming home to unemployment. It almost seems like it would be easier to stay in the military, where it's simple. Every day; follow orders, stay alive. That's it.

Originally I wholeheartedly supported the war. But I think that it soon became clear that our goals were clouded and even misguided. We were looking for things that weren't there and "aiding" in things that we shouldn't have to be involved in. I don't know really how I feel about it now. But I've got people that I know over there. Friends, families' children, and friends of other friends. Whether we know what we're doing over there or not, we still need to watch over those people, pray for them, and support them the best we can. If I were in their shoes, and I very well might be quite soon, I would want the same.