Breakfast yesterday with wounded warriors.
Last edited Sat Jun 21, 2025, 08:01 AM - Edit history (1)
Standing in line waiting to be seated i heard hey is it just you from a guy standing with friends several people in front of me. Yes it’s just me i replied they offered me to sit with their group.
Reason for invitation they saw my old man ball cap with 2/325 P.I.R. Unit flash on it. I was hesitant to line jump yet folks in between us were fine with it after i asked.
And standing with these fine men waiting for a table the introductions started. A fellow from the 504th a member my tribe of P.I.R yet he served Afghanistan campaign a 10th mountain troop Iraq 2nd Brigade and a 75th regiment fellow deployments Iraq Afghanistan.
Waiting for our breakfast after ordering these men wanted to hear about the old army. I respectfully deflected yet mentioned my time was all peaceful unlike your time in service. One responses don’t matter you served and i agree don’t matter your M.O.S. you served and i respect anyone who served.
Yet i jokingly said I’m old 59 yes i dropped with Hannibal at Lake Trsasimene to hunt for Gaius legions and yes to give an actual account the elephants went out of the four fans and trash cans first slang for C-130.
Yet once i hit Mother Earth i got lost as my land navigation sucked. And received U.C.M.J. and had to shovel and burn elephants shit rest of the campaign as punishment.
Yet in talking i discovered these men were in town for a youth sporting event that their organization supports and i didn’t probe. As i would not in asking them of their multiple deployments in war on terror.
The one gentleman showed me pictures of his family handling me his phone using artificial arm and in such i was doing the math to his age his children’s age.
And his oldest child was born on his deployment that he lost his arm.
And sitting there with these men and handing the one troops his phone back after admiring his children pics. And i added it’s fact bro ugly parents have beautiful children.
I’m thinking here is a man who at one moment in his youth hopefully floating higher than a kite from morphine wounded.
And once again into perspective if you think you’re having a shit day.
In that this trooper bleeding out as the platoon Doc (Doc slang for rifle platoons medics and these men are loved and respected in that world)Doc was perhaps trying to tighten this warriors tourniquet and Doc and his infantry brothers hoping for a med evac bird fast.
I’m thinking could been at night or one hot ass day sweating your asses off under all the gear you carry. This man had an infant at home he was a father at nineteen at the time of his wounding.
In parking lot i gave each of them a hug a hard a hug and a kiss to their foreheads and wished them the best out of love as any father would do for his children.
= new reply since forum marked as read
A few years back I was on a flight from the East Coast back home after spending a month with my dad whose health was failing when the flight was cancelled. The airline put us up in a tired hotel about 20 minutes from the hotel. The shuttle bus included 3 reserve soldiers and me. They were returning from 9 months in Afghanistan taking a very long route home that the Army provided with several overnight stops along the way. They were exhausted but so excited to be on their way home with girlfriends or wives waiting as they continued to be delayed. They were polite and pleasant. They seemed to be very fine young men. I slipped them each enough cash to take their loved one out for a nice dinner once they finally got home. I think the consensus was steak dinners. It did my heart good after staying with my dad (an Army man) who was on his way out to be near these young men just starting their lives.
