I Miss Iraq. I Miss My Gun. I Miss My War
A really good take on war, adjusting, and today’s society from someone who has been there is in Esquire this month.
“On one mission we slip away from our trucks and into the night. I lead the patrol through the darkness, along canals and fields
and into the town, down narrow, hard-packed dirt streets. Everyone has gone to bed, or is at least inside. We peer through gates and over walls into courtyards and into homes. In a few rooms TVs flicker. A woman washes dishes in a tub. Dogs bark several streets away. No one knows we are in the street, creeping. We stop at intersections, peek around corners, training guns on parked cars, balconies, and storefronts. All empty. We move on. From a small shop up ahead, we hear men’s voices and laughter. Maybe they used to sit outside at night, but now they are indoors, where it’s safe. Safer. The sheet-metal door opens and a man steps out, cigarette and lighter in hand. He still wears a smile, takes in the cool night air, and then nearly falls backward through the doorway in a panic. I’m a few feet from him now and his eyes are wide. I mutter a greeting and we walk on, back into the darkness.”
Read more: I Miss Iraq. I Miss My Gun. I Miss My War. – Esquire
