PART II

One week down...
I've spent this week getting over the jet lag, adjusting to the temperature, dust and smells. The food, my stomach is still fighting. I've actually come along way since first hitting ground. The feelings I was dealing with when I laid my eyes on Kandahar for the second time were not pleasant. There was this voice inside of me that just wanted to SCREAM....

I have a new respect for the phrase "two tours" (or more). It was something I was exposed to often when reading or learning about Soldiers in Vietnam. I always seemed to give them credit at the end for surviving the hellish place it was again, but never thought much about what they endured- just going back.

I guess what is most disturbing is the perspective this forces you into. The sights, sounds and smells are so real, because they stir memories and are in your face constantly, that THIS seems like the only real thing. This past 14 months I enjoyed with my family at home...that has been forced into the background as almost a dream. That just is not fair to them, and I feel like someone is robbing me of my most precious memories.

I've also had to deal with those other thoughts watching the MEDEVACs launch and return. The suffering of my fellow men has jumped back into, and is stirring a knot in my gut. My younger brother Bo, also a MEDEVAC officer and pilot has just headed out to Taji, Iraq to face these same challenges. Can't help but worry about him, too.

Looking for a little perspective here....