Howdy,
First, I’d like to thank Donald Trump.
I returned from my road trip to TEXAS! (YEEHAW), late last night. So I had to wake up this morning, get my shit together (a lifelong ordeal), and start cranking on a short piece for The Bulwark on the whole Gaza pier fiasco.
Around 3 pm, I was notified my services were no longer needed because a verdict on Trump’s case had been reached.
PHEW! I was struggling after not writing for four or five days. When you’re cranking out articles daily, writing can be a breeze. But, even after a few days off, I have to knock the cobwebs loose, which is not easy to do after three days on the beach!
So, thank you, Donald J. Trump—-for being you!
Anyway, I had a great time in TEXAS! (YEEHAW). It was great seeing old friends. All of them are doing well, which made the trip even better. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my crew so happy, healthy, and full of life.
My daughter, as always, loved the beach. We brought her cousin along, too. She’s a great kid and a strong gymnast who was doing her floor routine on the beach! They love each other so much. Sometimes, it takes my daughter a while to warm up to people, but by the end of the trip, she had told all my friends that she loved them. That’s reassuring and comforting for us, worried parents.
I got to do the MURPH (CrossFit workout) with my best friend’s boys. It was their first time doing CrossFit, and they both promptly puked within the first 10 minutes of the exercise. However, they channeled their father’s lore by puking and rallying.
These young men are the proud products of atheist parents. I saw them get married right before my first push to Baghdad in 2006. In the nearly 20 years I’ve known them, I’ve never seen them do anything but love each other. Throughout twenty years in the military and four-plus years in harm’s way, they were all too often the only quiet port in the storm. I’m confident I wouldn’t have survived those deployments and the repercussions without them. I’m eternally grateful for their love.
My old comrade from Afghanistan did the MURPH, too. He’s come a long way. After coming home from Afghanistan, he separated from the service and wandered the earth, fighting the demons buried in his soul. After a quick kiss with the law, he rebounded, found his purpose, and, alas, his woman. Finally, it appears he found his bride. All the womenfolk on the trip delivered the same message to him: try not to screw this up. I’m happy for him. Inshallah, he won’t screw it up.
The senior-ranking couple on the trip is doing fine, too. I met the groom in the early years of my college experience. He had a house—but, more importantly, he was 21! He would often make the trek to the local store to get us forties of malt liquor. What a guy! His wife is the lone female survivor from our college years. The rest of the girls we dated wisely chose not to stick around the clown show. But she did—that’s love because we were a mess.
Both of them are doing better than I’ve ever seen them before. The groom went to rehab while I went to the looney bin. He’s sober for the first time, and I’ve never seen him happier. Per this couple’s Modus Operandi, they remain at the beach, playing in the sand. That’s how I’ll remember these two—playing on the beach with a bonfire behind them.
They all remarked that they’d never seen me happier. That’s because I don’t remember a time in my life that I’ve been this content. The war is over—and we lost. I will be speaking honestly and truthfully about America’s War in Afghanistan for the rest of my life. My allies left behind deserve nothing less.
But, on this trip, I was reminded (yet again) that there’s more to life than the war. There are other things out there to be and do.
But, no matter the road I choose, this group of friends will be with me until my dying breath.
I don’t have a lot of friends. I have a few from the service. But, honestly, those friendships are a bit different than those who knew me before the war. My college friends know what I used to be like before these wars sunk their teeth into me. And I know how happy they are to see me happy for the first time in a long time.
That’s a blessing most people never experience in life.
And I’m grateful for it.
A few things:
Here’s my Memorial Day article for The Bulwark.
We also published our latest episode of Shoulder to Shoulder yesterday, and I think you’ll really enjoy it. Please give it a listen and learn about drone operations in Afghanistan.
Tomorrow, we will publish the second episode of Stories From My Brothers: Tales of the Afghan Security Forces. Below is our latest clip.
Lastly, thanks, as always, for reading and listening. We’re a start-up group learning on the fly. We will continue to struggle with editing podcasts and a few grammatical mistakes here and there. However, we’re improving daily, and I’m excited to bring more products here next month.
As always, please share our products widely.
Until Next Time.
Friends are important but I still believe in quality over quantity. Civilian friends will always keep us grounded my friend
Glad you had a wonderful trip Will. Welcome back. Looking forward to the next episode of Stories from My Brothers too. I really enjoyed the first one!!
Yes don't worry so much about grammatical errors. I make them too. I obsessed over an error I made in a comment on your post for two weeks. I KNOW I'm a perfectionist. 🤣
Keep up the great work. It is SO wonderful hearing you healing, healthier and happy. You've taught me a lot that's for sure. Also, Glad Trump could do something good for you for a change too. Ha.
It's a good day for Justice and The Rule of Law today. Since I'm in Recovery I will celebrate clean tonight. So I'm going to put some music on, eat a bunch of chocolate and DANCE. Peace brother. Tomorrow it's back to work. ❤️🇺🇸💙