U.S. Marine Veteran Stacy Hester:
“I have now lived and discovered what is most often missing as warriors is our journey home. That journey, sadly, doesn’t exist. The only thing that exists is a date on your End of Active Service contract that says to the warrior: On this day, you are no longer a warrior. Go be a normal citizen. The burden is deep and still alive within my own heart: I trained Marines to kill a visible enemy, but none of us received training for killing the invisible enemies within which haunt so very many of us. How do we come home? Where is home? What is home? Home is not what we few, we proud warriors once knew prior to our service; not in our minds! If you had been a stranger who passed me in an airport and asked me, “Where is home?”, you would have likely received an uncomfortably long silence as I wrestled within my heart to navigate your question, because… I wouldn’t have known the answer. I suspect I may have said, “Home. Home is on the battlefield with my brothers who are dying for you.” That’s where I need to be.”
Check out his full story here
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