For injured veteran, war continues even at home
http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/injured-veteran-war-continues-even-home
For injured veteran, war continues even at home
By Elizabeth Simpson
The Virginian-Pilot
© January 26, 2014
HAMPTON
~snip~
Active-duty Marine for 13 years. A staff sergeant, chief trainer of military dogs and kennel master. Now a Marine reservist living in Hampton.
It takes awhile to get to the part about the IED, the shrapnel, the flying body parts, the brain injury.
His wife, Elizabeth, urges him on to March 29, 2011.
That day, he called her on the phone after the explosion. She needed to buy new tires for the truck. And that had been stressful for the mother of three, who was also five months pregnant.
= new reply since forum marked as read
However, that being said, I'm thankful that I made it home with my body intact.
If you have an obvious physical wound, people expect you to be messed up in the head. Me, I look great on the outside but I don't do so good on the inside. I had a fellow platoon leader buddy of mine who was hit in the throat with a piece of shrapnel. He has the coolest jagged scar that travels basically the whole length of his neck under his jaw. To have a purple heart and a scar like that would do a lot to legitimize my struggles both to myself and to the people around me...
Anyways, I'm going to go back to typing with all 10 of my fingers until my daughter wakes up. Then I'm going to walk over to her bed with my two legs and pick her up with both of my arms and make her breakfast... I really shouldn't complain or be envious about having made it home in one piece. 