My War

Memories to some are their most treasured prizes, able to evoke feelings of euphoria, joy, nostalgia of the grandest depth. Memories to others are bearers of dread, despair, and infinitely running takes of horror, it is within this spectrum of human experience that my most vivid memories dwell.

One event that forever reshaped my paradigm occurred while I was deployed in FOB Kalsu Iraq, it was a mundane summer day reminiscent of any other UV enriched day there however this day would forever be etched into the walls of my deepest levels of consciousness for the rest of my life, due to the events which would occur. It all began at the crack of my alarm clock, its siren piercing the pitch black canvass that was my room illuminating it with a continuous metron ome of beep after beep. I flicked the light on to get a pristine view of my surroundings which was primarily vacated by my roommate, Sparks was still lying in his bed much like a stiffened corpse which ironically could be the fate of any of us at any given moment. As if my words were unseen chest paddles he sprung to life in a jolt of movement at the mere calling of his name, I grabbed my equipment, headed off to take a shower and perform my morning hygiene routine. I slowly opened the door leading out of my sleeping quarters and began the all to familiar trek to the showers, I vividly recall the outdoor darkness was a miasma of heat and salty wind, as if I had somehow walked into a darkened oven and salt was being tossed upon me from above by an unseen hand to season me for consumption and subsequent demise. Upon further evaluation it was evident the still moist sandals that clung to my feet were mixing with the sand below to create a trail of mud, humorous how such mundane d...

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...s yard was changed, no longer was a grounds for work but rather it had become a butchers shop forever tainted with the smell of fresh cut meat.

Feelings of despair and deep running sadness filled me. Mr. Mills was a slightly irate individual but he never complained about what he was asked to do. He had been married for 35 years, had worked for KBR as a US contractor, he began work in 2004 and met his demise July 23rd of 2010 at the ripe age of 54. No one deserves to die not Mr. Mills nor any other human being, but one idea I play over and over in my mind to perhaps self comfort myself about his passing is that it was a near instant death, painless. Funny how our own deaths do not influence who we are in any way for once we are dead we are gone, however the deaths of others tend to have the grandest of influence upon who we are, I know I experienced if firsthand.