What the general public doesn't see

SSG Christopher Freeman — Mon, 11 May 2015 09:43:35 -0400

I’ve decided to write about what people outside of the service don’t see when we are deployed, or even stateside. To begin this, if you have not read/seen “The Giver”, stop reading and execute. It will make this post make more sense.

In “The Giver”, a child is given the job of learning all of the memories that are shielded from the general public. This includes war, famine, and general suffering. It also includes things like seeing in color and some emotions. This got me thinking about how members of the military shield the general public from some of the worst things they could see in person.

We all know there are tons of photos and videos that depict war, suffering, and general violence. Many of us know someone who has experienced it. But, I am focusing on the wartime aspect of it. There is a large difference between seeing a person being shot in cold blood on TV and seeing burned bodies lining the streets that you are patrolling. The latter are the things that some of us have seen but have never shown the world. It is one of the burdens we have as members of the military.

We fight for those that can’t or won’t and, because of this, we have to see some of the worst things imaginable. This becomes all the more true while dealing with groups such as the Islamic State who have no problem executing large groups of people on video for the world to see.

How do we deal with this? Everyone has his or her own ways. For some, it’s at the bottom of a bottle of pills. For others, video games or physical fitness are they keys. We use these to help us cope and maybe forget the things we have seen and had to experience. Seeing a photo of a dead Afghan extremist is nothing compared to being the one who found him there.

We try to tell some people about we saw and how it affected us, but words will never compare to the visual scars that we all have. It is just another example of what most recruiters won’t tell you (no offense to the ones who give it straight to the recruits). All of us can agree that the service changes us, and for those who have seen war at its worst, how much being there affects us.

So what is the point of this Command Post? To enlighten you, and to let you know that you are not alone. There are thousands of other service members who have seen things that they may never fully understand. I urge you to find someone to talk to. The military has a generous amount of talk lines dedicated to service members in distress if you do not feel comfortable talking to someone in person. Get help, because one day, your service will come to an end and you will have missed the opportunity to use some of these services. You won’t miss the opportunity because they aren’t available once you get out, but it just may be harder to find someone to connect with.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 9:50 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 May 2015 09:50:30 -0400

nice post

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 9:50 AM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 May 2015 09:50:56 -0400

Great post! You are very accurate in encouraging folks to use the resources available while still active duty!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 9:52 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 May 2015 09:52:36 -0400

Great story with exemplimary points.

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 10:03 AM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 May 2015 10:03:18 -0400

I really enjoyed this. Thank you SSG Christopher Freeman!

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 11 at 2015 11:06 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 May 2015 23:06:53 -0400

Very outstanding thank you!

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made May 12 at 2015 12:36 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Tue, 12 May 2015 00:36:49 -0400

Lord knows some of us have seen hurt in the world like in third world countries from famine, to smashed bloody bodies.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Nov 17 at 2015 11:13 AM

SSG Audwin Scott — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 11:13:50 -0500

Thanks for this post!!!

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 17 at 2015 1:54 PM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:54:29 -0500

SSG Christopher Freeman There are things I love about the military. Such as the camaraderie, the knowledge that you are one piece that makes up a whole, the conversations, the jokes, the people you come to care about that become more than coworkers but almost like a family. That we may fight and squabble about petty things but all of that would be forgotten in a moment for a mission or an incident, we all become one. It is fluid and quite amazing to watch, hard to explain but easy to feel.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 17 at 2015 5:58 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 17:58:17 -0500

I don't think the general population wants to see the travails military personnel go through. The less they know about the wars, fallen and wounded warriors, the more they can feel comfortable in their minds.

Response by PO3 Maria Flasher made Nov 17 at 2015 8:24 PM

PO3 Maria Flasher — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 20:24:02 -0500

SSG Christopher Freeman,
I couldn't agree more with your comparison of the military member to the main character in "The Giver". When you are in the middle of something, especially something that has the tendency to leave a serious imprint on you, the moment will affect you differently if you are actually there than if you are seeing it on tv or hearing about it second hand. I have had to relate some of my more personal stories to a variety of people. Stories of my time in service and my times working in other positions since in the medical field. I remember sitting in the school theater when I was in high school and rolling my eyes listening to people talking about traumatic stories that were meant to scare me out of making bad decisions such as doing drugs and drinking and driving. Now I'm the one who tells the stories. I see the eye rolls, and I can hear the bored sighs, and honestly, they don't bother me. I'm looking forward to hearing their traumatic stories in the future.