The War always comes home

Joining the military as a bright and naive young woman. I was so full of life and searching for adventure, following my little brother, my biggest cheerleader, and oddest friend. It didn’t matter that I was a junior in college, the two of us were going to travel the world and do great things, we were going to learn to be as disciplined as our dad. 

I didn’t expect to go to war. I was promised that I wouldn’t because I’m a female I and I was a junior in college. I was going to have time to finish my degree and my little brother would be right next to me. 

Eleven months after joining I found myself saying “life before the military was not perfect but it sure was fun, because here I am at war in another country”. 

I now have to create this alternate version of reality that allows me to be human and them to be less than just for me to understand what I’m doing on their land. 

They say it’s to protect mine but they don’t even appreciate people of my kind. 

Incoming, incoming, incoming, I keep hearing that alarm ring I guess the mortars are coming but my heart and mind doesn’t feel a thing 

This is what happens at war people are here then they aren’t anymore. Carnie was her last name, she was the first one that that didn’t come home from playing in our real life war game. 

We laughed and ate cake in the sand then taps played after they said her rank and a salute of the hand. I was lucky to have just what they called a concussion and now a TBI. 

After many more trips to the desert and the loss of friends I won’t name I was told the war is over there and America had change. 

But the war always comes home because of the lives it’s claimed. 

No I’m not talking about the bodies laying in the ground, I’m talking about the many people walking around but their minds are not sound. 

Some say they fought for freedom and that freedom is not free I see that freedom keeps evading me. 

Daniel Lee Brown August 1, 2022 suicide is what got him in the ground. The war is at home