Purgatory

Thursday 18 February 2010

I am currently in Kuwait, laying in my cot and listening to the sandy wind blow the tent flaps after making the overnight, 5 hour flight from Afghanistan in a C-17. I must admit that the sand of Kuwait looks a lot more inviting to me while traveling in this direction. I’ll be here for 4 or 5 days before going to Ft Benning, GA to complete the redeployment process.

The feeling is kind of surreal. I can feel my body unwinding, my pulse slowing, a kind of deep fatigue possessing me. I see it in the other redeploying guys, as well. Not as much banter among the guys returning from Afghanistan as one might expect. It seems like guys are sleeping 14 or 16 hours at a stretch.

I watched some news on a TV in the gym tent and am filled with mixed emotions. I am ecstatic to be heading home, but strangely, a little guilty to have left while my friends are there doing important things. I can hear the EOD guys blowing some ordinance in the background. Not sure why they are having controlled detonations in Kuwait.

I am actually thankful to have this temporary stop on the way home. It has been a good chance to unwind and slow down, let the caffeine wear off. I am jaded enough to know that this stop is unlikely intentional on the part of the “system,” but it is worthwhile nonetheless- sort of a soft transition back to our other lives.

You can’t always get what you want,

But if you try, sometimes, you just might find,

You get what you need.

-Rolling Stones