Pete - US Marine Vet
Behind the dimpled smile of this US Marine Veteran of the 1/1 Bravo Raiders is an ongoing silent struggle of loneliness — left behind by society, battling bouts of depression and suicide.
“Young and impressionable, that’s what we were.” he said.
“All of us joined up because that’s really the only option in life we had.”
Not only did this friend suffer through things that most of us will never have to experience, but as a soldier, this young man felt a great sense of purpose. He was part of something larger than life. but most importantly, his world made absolute sense to him.
“Right before we got out, we were made to take a two week course on ‘how to become a civilian again’. We didn’t take it seriously because we thought ‘we were civilians before, how hard could it be?'”
He soon found himself overwhelmed. Once entrusted with state of the art vehicles and equipment, he now struggled with finding employment or fitting in long enough to pursue an education. His skill sets and experiences didn’t transfer over. After all that he had been through, he was back at zero all over again. Anger, resentment, and depression set in. Made worse by news of his brothers from his unit coming to the conclusion that their only option in life would be to end it. One after another, five in total. Shortly after he shared this with me, a sixth, their leader, was in trouble, mentally and emotionally.
“I got on a plane the next day. We all showed up at his home and loved him. Talked and cried.”
They shared their stories with one another, affirming that there was no need to travel this dark valley alone. They took shifts so that their friend was never by himself. His outlook improved as did everyone that came to his side.
“I can’t help but to wonder if I had gotten on a plane instead of talking on the phone if my other brothers would still be alive.”
From the bullets of his past emerge butterflies newly born. His warrior braids bloom with flowers, and leaves of milkweed give solace to these winged brothers. There is no shame in sharing your burdens.