This is a sad story that you never hear much about:
When he arrived at Fort Stewart with hundreds of other soldiers Friday, Spc. Brian Jasper didn’t know what to do next.
“Where do we go? Are we allowed to leave?” he asked, but most of the soldiers around him were locked in emotional embraces with wives and other family members.
The 24-year-old from Cincinnati was one of more than 20 single soldiers in Task Force 1-64’s Charlie Company who returned to cramped barracks and unfamiliar roommates Friday.
“It feels so weird being here,” Jasper said, giving several soldiers farewell high-fives as they departed with their families. “I don’t even know what to do after 11 months of being told what to do every day.”
Jasper’s dilemma is a common one among returning soldiers.
And for those who are single, experts say readjusting to peacetime life in the U.S. can be especially difficult.
“Families are often an anchor for soldiers coming back, in terms of helping them get grounded more in the here and now, and at some times helping them process the experience they’ve been through,” said Dr. David Baltzell, a psychiatrist at the Atlanta VA Medical Center’s post-traumatic stress disorder clinic.
When I returned from the Gulf to my base in Germany, even though it was great to be back at my base, it was terribly lonely returning and having no one there. The married soldiers had their children and their wives, others had their fiance to be with, and the single soldier had a barracks room. We had a very tight knit unit (as are most overseas units), and the wives and support groups tried to make it easy for the single guys, but all they really wanted to do was see their loved ones (and who could blame them). Seems like the same thing is being replayed again:
The single soldiers of Charlie Company returned to the nearby barracks to find their beds made and refrigerators stocked with beer, soda and food prepared by the wives of others in the company.
“It was important for me to know that the single soldiers had something waiting for them when they got home,” said Susan Conroy, wife of Capt. Jason Conroy, the commander of Charlie Company. “I knew all the married guys would be going home with their families.”
Some spent the night in the barracks recovering from their journey, which took them from Kuwait to Frankfurt, Germany, to Savannah in less than 24 hours. Others headed out to bars in Hinesville, where they were welcomed with drink specials and marquis messages.
“Welcome Home 3rd ID, Drink & Drown,” read the sign outside the Hurricanes bar.
How many of these single guys are going to get drunk, get in trouble, and suffer military punishment? NCO’s, this is your responsibility- these are still your men. Don’t fail them in garrison.
MommaBear
Too bad they don’t have someone who could arrange for “adoptive” families for at least a weekend visit.
kian
It is sad and a tad bit depressing, but – they did get a fridge stocked with beer and bed made when they returned home.. I’ve never recieved that kind of welcoming.. Though, I can understand how going from one extreme in which you are under direct orders from above – to another plane in which you’re in control of your life and making decisions for yourself can be difficult.. Similar to when a prison inmate of many years is released from prison –
(Shawshank Redemption anyone)?
Sean
I’ve never been in the military, so maybe this is more ignorant and it seems to me, but don’t these guys have parents? brothers? sisters? You’d think _somebody_ could greet them when they came back – maybe not stay with them, but still. If my kid went off to war, you can be damn sure I’d move heaven and earth to be there both when they left and when they got back.
Steve Lassey
I remember when I arrived in San Francisco, returning from VietNam. I received my last pay, in cash, and had to go outside the building and around the corner to the bank, all alone in the world, with over $1000 in cash. I bought travelers’ checks and left the building again, shivering in my light tropical uniform. It must have been under 60 degrees! Then I had that thought, after 3 years in the Army, always knowing where you were required to be at any given moment. “Where will I go? What will I do?” One moment only, before the gears shifted back. “Anywhere I want. Anything I like.” I smiled the broadest smile I had felt in three years. Don’t worry guys, you get used to freedom. It’s what you risked your lives to defend, and it’s precious.
cosmic grappler
When I came home, I would have been happy to have anyone, anywhere, say welcome. A fridge full of beer? Yeah, right.
But Steve has it. After 2 years, 7 months, 21 days and 14 hours, I was free to do whatever I wanted to do, and that made all the difference.
Welcome home. If I see you in an airport bar, I hope you’ll let me buy you a beer.
Barney Gumble
It’s been 20 hours since I posted about the business dealings of the head of the 9/11 commission with Osama Bin Laden’s brother-in-law, and John Cole still hasn’t been able to muster up any outrage.
“It’s been 20 hours since I posted about the business dealings of the head of the 9/11 commission with Osama Bin Laden’s brother-in-law, and John Cole still hasn’t been able to muster up any outrage.
I can therefore conclude that his concern over the Gorelick situation is motivated by nothing other than an irrational partisan hatred of everything related to the Clenis.”
–Atrios
Imperial Janitor Robb
Damn, looks like you’ve got a bad case of the Gumball here too. And I see he doesn’t do much more than Copy & Paste here as well. Some things never change.
Anyway, I was different when I was in the military. I liked my solitude and was happy to be on my own. I was still in as a reservist, and yes I did have family near, but I preferred simply going to an All-You-Can-Eat restaurant and sleeping in on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Not PT’ing was probably the best.
Still wake up at 5:00 am though…
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