Page 16 - Total War on PTSD
P. 16

 The issues I have dealt with since then really haven't let up as much as I have hoped they would. Please don’t get me wrong. There are many things that have helped me along the way, and there are things that continue to help me. This is not the way I used to be. I was very laid-back and self-confident before my deployment into the outer rim of hell known in some of our military circles as Afcrapistan (a.k.a. Afghanistan), as commonly referred to by my friend, Navy Journalist (now referred to officially as Mass Communication Specialists) and Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo.
The thing is that it, at least for me, my journey continues to be a work in progress, and my writing is a huge part of that journey, as is my ability and my drive to help others towards their own recovery; whatever it takes.
Kandahar Airfield was supposed to be relatively secure but, in my opinion, that was bullshit. Screaming rockets and mortar rounds are unimpressed by perimeter fences and K9 patrols. Truth is it was a war zone where I and hundreds of thousands of other U.S. service personnel and civilian contractors experienced daily shocks that created PTSD, especially for the uninitiated. I was one of those, as I deployed after the main body of 3NCR did, being a late asset, as they were in need of an Administrative Officer and I didn’t have the time to go through the same training they did.
I’m no battle-hardened hero. I ran an administrative team. Let me take you back there. It’s been a pretty nice day — as long as you stay inside and don’t inhale too much of the dust that seeps into every crevice. My three to four team members (depending on timeframe) and I are wading through piles of sometimes repetitive but still vitally
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