Credit: C E Ayr
When he’d left for his second tour of duty, he’d promised himself it would be better, but it wasn’t. Now here he was, back again, and here she was, eagerly waiting for the man she would soon be calling her husband. A man she thought she knew, but now, he didn’t even know himself.
For freedom, for country, for democracy, for keeping your loved ones safe…words once proudly touted, now hollow. He’d seen the truth, experienced it, was guilty of it.
“You’ll soon get used to it, son!”
And so he did. All those dead bodies which initially haunted him, soon faded into obscurity. Collateral damage became a norm. He took lives to save lives, because some lives were more precious than others. Millions of miles away, in a country he’d once never knew existed, surrounded by a presumptuously deemed inferior culture, he found himself playing God.
Her hero had returned. If she only knew.
War is always ugly I hope that she can help him to heal.
Very true, war is indeed very ugly. Thank you for reading!
A damaged soul. A timely tale indeed.
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Thank you so much for reading!
So few of us realize that the soldiers who make it home are also casualties of war…it’s just harder to see the wounds.
War for all the wrong reasons inevitably leaves those wounds. It’s so crucial to have honest and just leaders who make morally correct decisions.
No one returns from war the same person as when they left. My son served in the Marine Corps and although deep inside he’s still that same great kid, there’s a lot of pain and anguish covering all that up.
For those of us watching from afar, it’s very easy to judge but we can never truly relate. Best wishes to your son, I hope time eases all the pain.
I would guess many soldiers returning from wars feel like that. Many don’t talk about it. I hope he learns, with her help, to adjust to civilian life and family. Good writing, SW. —- Suzanne
War is not something to be started carelessly, as these are the inevitable results. Thank you for reading!
I hope she can stop his his heart from turning to stone and him seeing it as the norm. It is one of the things that I am glad I have never had to – and now never will be able to – fight in a war. I don’t think I could take someone’s life. To know you are snuffing out the very essence of another person. Some person at home would be getting the message “your spouse/son/daughter/brother/sister is never coming home”
Let’s hope she can heal him. A good story and very appropriate in these times.
I always hope that even in war, a person listens to his or her conscience. It may be your job, but you should be responsible and accountable for your own actions. Like you said, taking a person’s life…their very essence…that should be a big deal. It’s sad how in these times the number of dead have become stats to be calmly forgotten, collateral damage having become a norm (though sadly, depending on which part of the globe you’re in, some of the dead get more ‘preference’ than others).
Thanks! Glad you liked the story!