Page 144 - Total War on PTSD

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” - Henry David Thoreau
Courtenay: Even though it’s not the same as pitching a tent in the woods...or in a noisy campground filled with sometimes less than polite neighbors...I recall several different times when I got the pleasure of helping to set up large tents in bot South Korea and Afghanistan...working alongside my fellow Seabee’s and feeling rather comfortable doing so.
It didn't matter that colorful language flew as frequently as the dust and sand in my eyes...I just adjusted my safety glasses and went back to work...stifling a grin when each zinger flew by while trying to maintain my composure and not laugh my ass off. I did the same thing at a Vietnam Veteran traveling wall, working alongside some Vietnam era Veterans. I think some of them were just trying to fire me up. One thing in particular that I recall is that they were surprised that I was keeping up with them, and that I knew what I was doing, when I was helping to put up the tents on the park grounds.
There was one Vietnam Veteran in particular, now a long-time friend of mine by the name of Ronald Wilson (who I call Ron or grandpa...depending on my mood), who was running around the grounds like a chicken with his head cut off. He was one of the organizers of the event and I know how dedicated he was to make sure it all went off right, especially since he served there himself. He was the one who recruited me and a bunch of others to assist with set-up at the event, and I also got a bunch of Sea Cadets involved as well. Well, after waiting around for about an hour for him to task those Cadets with something to do I ended up having to chase him down and literally corner him to get their assignment. If I hadn’t...well...I never would have met him in the first place. I literally had to get directions to locate him on the parade field!
When I was over in Afghanistan he actually wrote me letters on a regular basis...and that is one thing, along with my sweet husband’s correspondence and weekly baked goods, that kept me going the whole time I was there.
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