Can you describe how you felt coming home from a deployment or combat?

I was happy to go home. I missed my family and friends. I was discharged in January and I met a girl at the end of March. We got married 6 weeks later and have been married for 38 years. We have 7 children, 17 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.

I actually felt like I didn't belong in the neighborhood anymore it was a strange feeling.

Coming back home from war was an anxious but exciting feeling, knowing that I would finally see all my love ones again. I knew that being deployed had them very concerned for my safety and my safe arrival would end some of their concern. I also had some anxiety not knowing how I would cope after being gone for over a year and being involved in so many traumatic situations. Having the support of my family and fiends along with fellow veterans help the my transition back to civilian life. Without that support am not sure what would have become of me. I thank all the support that this country and the VA has for our veterans.

At first it felt strange being able to go somewhere and drive your own car but at the same account I felt that I contributed to the mission (Sept. 2001).

I hav never served in a war, but I was apart of natural disasters in the United States. I assisted the hurricane that flooded the Florida Key West, and it was miraculous how much water can destroy someone’s livelihood. Coming home is emotional because family and friends expect you to be safe and return safe. However, the events that took place that no one was able to see, you have seen and it takes a life of its own. People portray events in a negative or positive way cognitively. You start to think of yourself as grateful for everything around you, and still having the things you left.

When I was deployed to Iraq it was such a relief and an awesome experience to get to fly home for Christmas.

I was never deployed for a long time, I was only on short 'fast cruises' during my time. I will say coming home after discharge was weird to adjust to civilian life.

After my first deployment I was on top of the world. I thought everyone understood what I had been through. I was wrong. So so very wrong. I was alone and could not wait to just go back over, despite being with my loved ones. Eventually everything calmed down and I adjusted. I deployed a second time not long after, but on the return trip I understood what everyone else’s perspective of me was and I was able to understand theirs. I still have mixed feelings to this day and 20/20 hindsight is the best vision I never had, but I grew from it.

Being able to experience the world and how it actually functions compared to the daily lives of the people I left in the rear left me disconnected from them when I came home. I would adjust appropriately when on leave but there was no longer a feeling of home or as strong of a connection with everyone there.

It was relief. Not because of the deployment, but the relief that my family was safe and I was home once again to take care of them. I was never worried about being deployed, but I always stressed not being home in case something happened to my wife or kids and I couldn't be there for them. Coming home, it was easy to cry in relief knowing that I was within reach of my family just in case.....