I'm not going to lie... This has been a rough week in several respects. The first thing was being evac'ed out of Afghanistan (nothing like regaining consciousness while you're being put on an ambulance)... Then getting diagnosed with epilepsy and told I can't drive for the next few months or handle a weapon for the next year. But I can only say I'm lucky that that is the reason why I was being rolled onto an ambulance and evacuated out of Afghanistan. Some of the people being evacuated out had missing limbs... As much as I wanted to feel sorry for myself, I could not, because I realize I'm actually lucky (even though I still would much rather be deployed with my fellow soldiers right now).
I found out last night that our first classmate from my graduating class was killed in action in Afghanistan. We've been graduated for less than a year... Like any good West Point graduate, I automatically went and looked at his Facebook and saw a wall post from who I presume was his mother who asked him to call her - very much like what my own family would post on my wall. To be honest, I have spent quite some time in tears. I was involved in OCF (Officer's Christian Fellowship) with this fellow graduate, and we have known each other for quite some time - since our freshman year at West Point. He was on battalion staff when I was on regimental staff, so we did work together some, and I knew him socially as well, though we didn't hangout all that often. He wasn't a popular guy, but he was a good guy, and I can't believe he's gone. This just hit too close to home... And now I'm in tears again. I'm sure these anti-seizure meds they have me on aren't helping matters any, as they tend to cause me to be emotional (these are the same meds they put me on a couple years ago). It's hard to see your own classmates who had the same hopes and dreams as you being killed at such a young age. Without getting political, I can't say I'll be disappointed when we pull out of Afghanistan. Even though I was glad I had the honor to serve over there, and I'm really disappointed I got pulled out early (I was only there for about a month before I had to leave), I don't want to see anymore of my fellow soldiers killed over there... These people who had friends and family and hopes and dreams just like me and the people I'm closest to.
That is all I have to say for now... I know this fellow soldier is in a better place now, and I pray for those closest to him who have lost a great guy. Be Thou at Peace.
I found out last night that our first classmate from my graduating class was killed in action in Afghanistan. We've been graduated for less than a year... Like any good West Point graduate, I automatically went and looked at his Facebook and saw a wall post from who I presume was his mother who asked him to call her - very much like what my own family would post on my wall. To be honest, I have spent quite some time in tears. I was involved in OCF (Officer's Christian Fellowship) with this fellow graduate, and we have known each other for quite some time - since our freshman year at West Point. He was on battalion staff when I was on regimental staff, so we did work together some, and I knew him socially as well, though we didn't hangout all that often. He wasn't a popular guy, but he was a good guy, and I can't believe he's gone. This just hit too close to home... And now I'm in tears again. I'm sure these anti-seizure meds they have me on aren't helping matters any, as they tend to cause me to be emotional (these are the same meds they put me on a couple years ago). It's hard to see your own classmates who had the same hopes and dreams as you being killed at such a young age. Without getting political, I can't say I'll be disappointed when we pull out of Afghanistan. Even though I was glad I had the honor to serve over there, and I'm really disappointed I got pulled out early (I was only there for about a month before I had to leave), I don't want to see anymore of my fellow soldiers killed over there... These people who had friends and family and hopes and dreams just like me and the people I'm closest to.
That is all I have to say for now... I know this fellow soldier is in a better place now, and I pray for those closest to him who have lost a great guy. Be Thou at Peace.
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