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I never loved school growing up. Math? Definitely not my thing. But when I joined the military, I finally found a “test” I enjoyed and could perform with interest —react to contact drills.
When everything hits the fan, and you're forced to make split-second decisions with limited intel, that’s when I really felt alive. In some cases, it’s what kept me alive.
But the battlefield that those of us who are Veterans are navigating now is different.
In civilian life, there’s no garrison downtime, no FTX to prep for, no clear deployment cycle. It’s just one long, unpredictable op tempo filled with wins, losses, and daily battles—some loud, some silent.
We’re not dodging RPGs or mortars from a single enemy force. But we are taking incoming—just in different forms. A bad health diagnosis. A blindsiding bill. Trouble at home or with the boss. The enemy doesn’t wear a uniform now, and there’s no SOP for life’s curveballs.
What I don’t want is to be running a react to contact drill when a buddy suddenly ghosts a group chat… only to find out later that life hit him harder than any of us realized.
So I’ve made it a priority to check in, often and proactively, not just reactively. You should too.
Stay in touch - or reconnect - with the people who mean the most to you. Don’t do it just when you need something, or when you think they need you. Do it just because life is better that way.
Don’t let your daily grind push that “What’s up?” text message down your task list. Make the call. Grab that meal. You don’t need a reason—just a reminder that someone’s got your six, and you’ve got theirs.
If you feel disconnected from friends right now, there are places you can go to be surrounded by other vets. Here are just a few:
American Legion Calendar: https://rly.pt/legion
VA Events: https://rly.pt/VAoutreach
America’s Warrior Partnership Events: https://rly.pt/AWPevents
It’s better to prevent an ambush than to react to one. Life’s too short to forget that, and your friends are too important to forget them.
When everything hits the fan, and you're forced to make split-second decisions with limited intel, that’s when I really felt alive. In some cases, it’s what kept me alive.
But the battlefield that those of us who are Veterans are navigating now is different.
In civilian life, there’s no garrison downtime, no FTX to prep for, no clear deployment cycle. It’s just one long, unpredictable op tempo filled with wins, losses, and daily battles—some loud, some silent.
We’re not dodging RPGs or mortars from a single enemy force. But we are taking incoming—just in different forms. A bad health diagnosis. A blindsiding bill. Trouble at home or with the boss. The enemy doesn’t wear a uniform now, and there’s no SOP for life’s curveballs.
What I don’t want is to be running a react to contact drill when a buddy suddenly ghosts a group chat… only to find out later that life hit him harder than any of us realized.
So I’ve made it a priority to check in, often and proactively, not just reactively. You should too.
Stay in touch - or reconnect - with the people who mean the most to you. Don’t do it just when you need something, or when you think they need you. Do it just because life is better that way.
Don’t let your daily grind push that “What’s up?” text message down your task list. Make the call. Grab that meal. You don’t need a reason—just a reminder that someone’s got your six, and you’ve got theirs.
If you feel disconnected from friends right now, there are places you can go to be surrounded by other vets. Here are just a few:
American Legion Calendar: https://rly.pt/legion
VA Events: https://rly.pt/VAoutreach
America’s Warrior Partnership Events: https://rly.pt/AWPevents
It’s better to prevent an ambush than to react to one. Life’s too short to forget that, and your friends are too important to forget them.
Posted in these groups: 
Mental Health
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
The American Legion
America's Warrior Partnership
Medal of Honor
Mental Health Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) The American Legion America's Warrior Partnership Medal of Honor
Posted 6 mo ago
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Good afternoon SSG Clint Romesha. Excellent post. Thank you for sharing this Brother Clint. :->
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