Page 665 - Total War on PTSD

through the Communications Sergeant. I learned basic medical skills from their over qualified Medic. I was learning tactics from the Team Sergeant and the Commander.
I was attached to this team to assist in the vehicle control point set-up near our camp, as well as assist with mobile operations. I would bring my dog through after they finished clearing a compound of hostiles. While they were cleaning up the inside I was part of the outer security and then they would call my dog and I in to check for explosives.
At the age of 20 I was experiencing the full nature of war. The first time I reached down to pull a corpse from a vehicle the body felt like jello. This happened a few weeks before my 21st birthday. It was like every bone in the body had been pulverized or liquified and all that was left behind was a sack of meat and fluid. I was instructed to grab the clothes not the body as it was easier to drag to a cleared area.
Do you remember the first time your bravery was tested? The first time you had to look at paralyzing fear in the face. I have stood in front of judges that could tear me away from the comforts of home, I was an adrenaline chasing ATV rider as a kid, but never once had I faced true fear. The fear that will stop you dead in your tracks and cause the whole world to slow around you. The fear that initiates the bio-chemical reaction in your body telling you it’s time to fight or hide. For me it was the first time I heard bullets impact the rock surfaces on the side of a mountain peak. The sound that pierces your ears when those tiny projects slice through the air at thousands of feet per second. I found out fear was no different from any other obstacle you’ll face.
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