Howdy,
I’m currently in a below-average Embassy Suites in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fine people. They’ve been nothing but polite.
But, man, there’s a reason the Afghan Air Force pilots who trained here always said, “I never want to go back there again, brother.”
Facts.
Anyway, sorry I’ve been MIA the last week or so. I snagged some furniture from my Mom, and I’m schlepping it back to KC via a 16-foot Budget Rental Truck. It’s been fun.
Maybe I could be a truck driver? Just driving across the country with my load?
Yeah. I don’t think so, either.
Anyway, we have some great episodes coming up on Shoulder to Shoulder, which I hope you will spread the word about. One thing that should unite all Americans is that we need to provide a space to talk honestly about war and the trauma it causes. Today, we interviewed a Gold Star mother. It was a beautiful episode, but you’ll have to wait a few weeks for that one.
Next week, you’ll hear a great episode with my old interpreter, Ritchie. Ritchie survived the IED that killed Yelner 16 years ago, but it left him a double amputee. Since Monday was the anniversary of that IED, he sent me this picture.
He also called me from Yelner’s grave so I could speak with Yelner’s stepfather. It is always a difficult conversation, but it is well worth it. That’s a heavy space to operate in, but we all need to start.
The only way to get through this grief is by remembering and telling their stories.
Yelner was a brave young man. Ritchie and I both try to live our lives worthy of his sacrifice.
I think we are.
Until Next Time
Thanks for your writing Will. I’m a medically retired Army officer (35D) suffering from a multiple of physical and mental health conditions. I never served in Afghanistan - as luck would have it, all my deployments were in Iraq. I read your “Disaffection and Despair” article today in The Bulwark. What a great piece. I did my company command time as recruiting company commander - in the Army, that’s where you go from “hero” to “zero”. Suicide rates are higher than average in recruiting, which says a lot about pressure of the recruiting environment. Keep up the great work, especially with everything you’ve done helping interpreters. I had my share of joy and headaches working with interpreters in Iraq - and I know the essential role they played and sacrifices they made. All the Best.
Indeed it was a wonderful visit and having your help is always a blessing. Traveling with grief is a life-long journey that will always be with us. It recedes and reappears at will with plenty of side journeys that wind us through life. Your life has been filled with grief since entering the military and these past 20 years there has been little time to process or deal with this. Windshield time affords us the alone time and distance that can help put perspective on some of it. Once grief visits us we spend the rest of our lives making sure that we live our remaining life giving meaning to its sacrifice. You've got that part taken care of. Blessings.