Page 771 - Total War on PTSD

As strange as it might sound, I absolutely loved serving overseas. I was pulled away from my primary job duty to work in Tactical Operations. Every day, I woke up before anyone else to send in the Personnel Status Report by 0630. I held important roles for my Company. Our primary mission overseas was to convoy to different sites and haul the machinery used to deconstruct those sites. I was the junior Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge (NCOIC) of the Company Intelligence Support Team (COIST). My duties in COIST consisted of monitoring three different levels of security systems to track enemy movements, hostile fire of any kind, IEDs and the horrible part...reporting the death details for all of the joint operations in the region. I would prepare PowerPoint presentations complete with aerial views of the terrain; close-up views of obstacles such as bridges and buildings; detailed curves along the route; where incidents happened with the enemy or joint operations and the date, time and explanation of the incidents. I was responsible for not only briefing this information to the Battalion command staff but also to the Brigade command staff. Once these details were relayed to the higher ups, I would then brief all of the soldiers who were tasked to go out on missions. I would also gain intelligence by route reconnaissance a by convoy and also by Chinook flights. When I was not performing that job, I was the NCOIC of radio communications security for the company, electronic warfare and Line-of-Duty packets. When you heard the whistle and saw the tail of a rocket, that was a little too close for comfort. I made the rank of Sergeant in January 2014 while overseas. I was proud. I was confident. I felt needed and important. I was humbled during the NCO initiation ceremony. We were on the move to the tarmac to witness a Ramp Ceremony. For those who might not understand, it is a final salute to the deceased soldier as they leave the country. Standing there, saluting the coffin and realizing that he gave the ultimate sacrifice reminded me
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