tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post2708939062434339440..comments2024-03-29T07:37:59.526-07:00Comments on Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart: Welcoming a Combat Veteran Home - Five Minute Friday / Weekend BrewAndrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-48926359306602915092015-02-07T21:16:57.188-08:002015-02-07T21:16:57.188-08:00You're very welcome...and when you do see a ve...You're very welcome...and when you do see a veteran who's come back from a combat deployment, simply say, "Welcome home".<br /><br />It will be appreciated more than you know.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-62014939901184725792015-02-05T18:02:41.546-08:002015-02-05T18:02:41.546-08:00Thank you so much for this honest and touching pos...Thank you so much for this honest and touching post. You've shared so much. I don't have a veteran in the family or anyone close to me so thanks for letting me get a glimpse of what it's like.Lux G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557863683608790087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-70477365462822591562015-01-27T22:09:11.038-08:002015-01-27T22:09:11.038-08:00Thank you so much!Thank you so much!Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-70040993714154086292015-01-27T21:51:45.431-08:002015-01-27T21:51:45.431-08:00Great post! Thanks for sharing at So Much At Home....Great post! Thanks for sharing at So Much At Home. <br />God bless.<br />ChrisA Salty Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11113715612538568776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-53223930768175170142015-01-22T21:19:48.188-08:002015-01-22T21:19:48.188-08:00Joe, thank you so much! (And please pardon my dela...Joe, thank you so much! (And please pardon my delay in replying.)Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-37879330906203924782015-01-22T21:18:57.906-08:002015-01-22T21:18:57.906-08:00Thank you, Natalie, and please excuse my delayed r...Thank you, Natalie, and please excuse my delayed reply - I've been unwell.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-44688005424225983622015-01-14T06:47:14.228-08:002015-01-14T06:47:14.228-08:00Wow! Awesome post, Andrew!
Thank you for sharing...Wow! Awesome post, Andrew!<br /><br />Thank you for sharing from your experience to help others.Joe Potehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00128078440003054702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-11873066327615840552015-01-12T11:44:52.905-08:002015-01-12T11:44:52.905-08:00Thank you so much for sharing. I appreciate your v...Thank you so much for sharing. I appreciate your vulnerability and I think that your insight is extremely valuable. Zionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11180417908209217887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-44812722204796629592015-01-10T20:31:11.279-08:002015-01-10T20:31:11.279-08:00Thank you so much!
One of the most deftly drawn c...Thank you so much!<br /><br />One of the most deftly drawn cinematic "homecomings" is in "The Hurt Locker". It shows a decent and skilled bomb tech who simply can't square what he sees as his duty with the blissful ignorance of civilian life, close to the end of the film. (The EOD details are horribly wrong, but as long as you let that go, it's a pretty good package.)Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-57862488864149703302015-01-10T20:27:49.994-08:002015-01-10T20:27:49.994-08:00Tnank?
Fingers fast, brain slow. Sorry.Tnank?<br /><br />Fingers fast, brain slow. Sorry.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-24029292411357712972015-01-10T20:26:53.615-08:002015-01-10T20:26:53.615-08:00No need to apologize, Barbara...and thank you for ...No need to apologize, Barbara...and thank you for the link to Patriot Service Dogs. I would be dead without my two, Sylvia (whose picture is on the blog, right-hand column) and Ladron.<br /><br />Shutting oneself off from social and family contacts is very common, and it comes from a perception that people just won't understand. One can get very tired of trying to explain. I know I do; and the worst of it is when folks think they get it, and don't.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing the service history in your family; we're lucky to have you guys.<br /><br />And tnank you for the prayers. I do needt them.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-42823079477698868052015-01-10T20:22:05.377-08:002015-01-10T20:22:05.377-08:00I'll keep them in my prayers. It's such a ...I'll keep them in my prayers. It's such a hard transition!Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-48833229077616521932015-01-10T12:47:01.896-08:002015-01-10T12:47:01.896-08:00Powerful words today! Learning how to welcome home...Powerful words today! Learning how to welcome home a veteran or anyone else who has been absent for a long period of time does take warmth, understanding and few demands. I pray your words reach many in order to embrace an absent family member with grace. Blessed you joined The Weekend Brew.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-42822686775326699482015-01-10T10:58:36.772-08:002015-01-10T10:58:36.772-08:00Sorry for such a LONG comment! I just felt led to...Sorry for such a LONG comment! I just felt led to share this with you!!<br /><br />I also wanted to tell you about the orginization I support through fund-raising, etc. My friend is co-founder of Patriot Service Dogs - they raise and train puppies to be service dogs for Disabled Vets. Their website is: http://www.patriotservicedogs.org/ if you'd be interested in checking them out. We will start fund-raising in a couple of months for an event in May.<br /><br />Thanks again for reading my LONG comment!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16954512718777249848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-62540557033102772172015-01-10T10:55:46.483-08:002015-01-10T10:55:46.483-08:00Andrew - what words you share; eye-opening heart-w...Andrew - what words you share; eye-opening heart-wrenching words! I come from a military family; I am an Army Brat, if you will!! My father served MANY years in the U. S. Army. I don't think he served in combat, but was in Korea when I was a baby; and later, when I was in H.S. he went to Viet Nam-fortunately he was able to retire after that tour.<br /><br />Then, my oldest brother (but younger than I) went into the Army. He met his wife in Japan where they married - and are still married! He served during the Gulf War...and retired. I don't think he saw any of the Afghanistan/Iraq tours.<br /><br />My 1st husband was also Army - and he served in Korea several times; but not during war time. He was able to "get out of" Viet Nam (or someone helped him "get out of") because of being the only son?!<br /><br />My 2nd husband served 4 years in Army and reserves; but no combat.<br /><br />My son - born in Germany - served 3 or 4 tours in Afghanistan and/or Iraq...he is still in the Army Reserves in Louisiana.<br /><br />All this to say - I know of the being away from family, and the returns to "normal" (or as normal as can get?!) But, I DO NOT know of this from the soldier's perspective as you so well put into words. I would LOVE to buy and read your book - and plan to do so as soon as our payday gets here!<br /><br />We are currently seeing, first hand, the issues some soldiers experience after returning home. My youngest daughter's brother-in-law is dealing with PTSD as we "speak"; he has shut himself off from their mother, his twin sister, his brother - everyone! We pray for him everyday as we do others dealing with this.<br /><br />And, you are included in my prayers, Andrew! Your words help others "see" what you and other of our military are dealing with. Thank you, Andrew, for your service, for your words, for your honesty and courage to share!<br /><br />May God bless you and your family!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16954512718777249848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-91623598294802705142015-01-10T08:32:12.055-08:002015-01-10T08:32:12.055-08:00Yeah. We had a friend come home from Afghanistan ....Yeah. We had a friend come home from Afghanistan ... we spent time with his family of three around their table. He had changed. I felt it. He said he'd wake up each night with bombs going off ... and the "wake up" was hard to overcome after arriving home. I haven't spoken with them in a few years ... I need to touch base with them. I pray they are still together. And I think they are ... got a Christmas card. Sweet family. I pray the Lord has helped him adjust back home. I cannot even imagine.Shelli Littletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00136640834514348086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-72206413696651733032015-01-09T20:47:50.968-08:002015-01-09T20:47:50.968-08:00Thank you so much, Lisa. Your words mean a lot to ...Thank you so much, Lisa. Your words mean a lot to me.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-57720666117651494632015-01-09T20:47:04.349-08:002015-01-09T20:47:04.349-08:00The 'homesickness' aspect is not new; you ...The 'homesickness' aspect is not new; you can find it in the Odyssey, and there's a trace at the end of Lord of the Rings.<br /><br />We tend to gloss over it because the starkness of feeling is threatening. Christopher Hitchens summed it up by calling war a drug, which misses the point entirely. It's not an alternate reality, or some kind of escape from the drudgery of day-to-day life.<br /><br />It's the complete stripping away of everything we think makes us civilized, and the replacement of those things with a strong moral code which is the essence of civilization.<br /><br />"We all go home together, or NO ONE does" is a common credo, almost a military cliche, and it's often lived. You simply don't find that in civilian life.<br /><br />That's the void; in the hell of combat, one can see a small part of Heaven, and one longs for that view for the rest of one's life.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-71025551337616559182015-01-09T20:40:28.432-08:002015-01-09T20:40:28.432-08:00Thank you, Jeanne. I would do it all again.
A new...Thank you, Jeanne. I would do it all again.<br /><br />A new normal is exactly right, because the old normal can never return. The new one will include parts of the old, and can be even better in the long run, but it can never be the same.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-67917343073177605562015-01-09T20:38:55.655-08:002015-01-09T20:38:55.655-08:00Thank you, Tara. It's my sincere hope that sha...Thank you, Tara. It's my sincere hope that sharing this might make it just a little bit easier for a family to keep their equilibrium.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-16922285223153941222015-01-09T20:37:19.074-08:002015-01-09T20:37:19.074-08:00Thank you, Linda. It's been a very long road &...Thank you, Linda. It's been a very long road 'back'; but I'm not really back at all. A part of me, that part which really identifies who I am, will always be out there, eyes up and frosty.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-54693380333096866582015-01-09T20:35:25.598-08:002015-01-09T20:35:25.598-08:00Thank you for saying that, and thank you for being...Thank you for saying that, and thank you for being here today.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-87987098259654714372015-01-09T20:34:50.317-08:002015-01-09T20:34:50.317-08:00Thank you! It is hard for many people to really un...Thank you! It is hard for many people to really understand; the Hollywood and print versions of what a veteran 'should' feel (from "The Best Years Of Our Lives" to "First Blood") simply don't capture the experience.<br /><br />I think perhaps one has to start from the premise that combat is not 'experienced'; it is LIVED.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-81204778157740133172015-01-09T20:31:24.631-08:002015-01-09T20:31:24.631-08:00Melinda, thank you - and thanks to your husband. T...Melinda, thank you - and thanks to your husband. The deployment rotation can be so very rough. It's designed around the needs of the service, but can be antithetical to the needs of families.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13230537202427640540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4095822388315899381.post-42120625727855398432015-01-09T17:52:11.229-08:002015-01-09T17:52:11.229-08:00Once again, I have so much to learn from you. Than...Once again, I have so much to learn from you. Thanks for another lesson today. Blessings to you, Andrew. Lisa notes...https://www.blogger.com/profile/07103364395238899215noreply@blogger.com