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a pre-Thanks Giving Dinner
Nov 22, 2013 06:19:52   #
rumitoid
 
By a funny coincidence, this guy I briefly met in Nam and had an intense but momenary encounter with, came to live in the small NM town I settled in. Just had a pre-op Thanksgiving with him and his family. Very nice. He will be going into the hospital next Tuesday for a double hip replacement. Doctors said he would be home by Thanksgiving Day but he figured let's make that day secured. As he did on the battlefield; he hasn't left it.

We fired eight different weapons while waiting for turkey. He owns about thirty acres in an unpopulated area of the mountains surrounding this town. Our target area had no chance of hurting a soul. This was or was not good for his son-in-law, enmeshed in violence all the many year of his service. Quiet at first, out in the field with weapons he freely spoke of k*****g Iragi prisoners, twenty in number at one encounter, and lesser numbers as a matter of course.

I looked to see how he was with his two young children, and how they were on that day. Surprise, even shock. The two kids were easy going, smart, and free. Nothing at all to suggest any abuse or even heavy-handiness. When we came back after shooting to have some coffee outside with just the guys, the possible monster I saw said one line I took as the bottom line: "Kids are the whole deal; dying for them no big thing."

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Nov 22, 2013 09:38:44   #
lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas
 
rumitoid wrote:
By a funny coincidence, this guy I briefly met in Nam and had an intense but momenary encounter with, came to live in the small NM town I settled in. Just had a pre-op Thanksgiving with him and his family. Very nice. He will be going into the hospital next Tuesday for a double hip replacement. Doctors said he would be home by Thanksgiving Day but he figured let's make that day secured. As he did on the battlefield; he hasn't left it.

We fired eight different weapons while waiting for turkey. He owns about thirty acres in an unpopulated area of the mountains surrounding this town. Our target area had no chance of hurting a soul. This was or was not good for his son-in-law, enmeshed in violence all the many year of his service. Quiet at first, out in the field with weapons he freely spoke of k*****g Iragi prisoners, twenty in number at one encounter, and lesser numbers as a matter of course.

I looked to see how he was with his two young children, and how they were on that day. Surprise, even shock. The two kids were easy going, smart, and free. Nothing at all to suggest any abuse or even heavy-handiness. When we came back after shooting to have some coffee outside with just the guys, the possible monster I saw said one line I took as the bottom line: "Kids are the whole deal; dying for them no big thing."
By a funny coincidence, this guy I briefly met in ... (show quote)


Everyone brings some sort of demon back from combat. Those who have never been under fire before will not understand. Everyone deals with their demons differently, some better than others. Those with families seem to do better as children seem to have a healing property. Thank God for babies.

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Nov 22, 2013 19:33:19   #
AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State
 
rumitoid wrote:
By a funny coincidence, this guy I briefly met in Nam and had an intense but momenary encounter with, came to live in the small NM town I settled in. Just had a pre-op Thanksgiving with him and his family. Very nice. He will be going into the hospital next Tuesday for a double hip replacement. Doctors said he would be home by Thanksgiving Day but he figured let's make that day secured. As he did on the battlefield; he hasn't left it.

We fired eight different weapons while waiting for turkey. He owns about thirty acres in an unpopulated area of the mountains surrounding this town. Our target area had no chance of hurting a soul. This was or was not good for his son-in-law, enmeshed in violence all the many year of his service. Quiet at first, out in the field with weapons he freely spoke of k*****g Iragi prisoners, twenty in number at one encounter, and lesser numbers as a matter of course.

I looked to see how he was with his two young children, and how they were on that day. Surprise, even shock. The two kids were easy going, smart, and free. Nothing at all to suggest any abuse or even heavy-handiness. When we came back after shooting to have some coffee outside with just the guys, the possible monster I saw said one line I took as the bottom line: "Kids are the whole deal; dying for them no big thing."
By a funny coincidence, this guy I briefly met in ... (show quote)


Put a star or two under my name. My brain spewed forth answers I would not be unkind enough to issue forth as to your assumptions and pre judgments of the Iraqi Veteran.

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Nov 23, 2013 22:12:11   #
rumitoid
 
AuntiE wrote:
Put a star or two under my name. My brain spewed forth answers I would not be unkind enough to issue forth as to your assumptions and pre judgments of the Iraqi Veteran.


It is not pre-judgment; most importantly from personal experience and only secondarily what he shared about himself. I did not tell you his whole story and will not. My point was along the line of what Ipnamjor said: the healing from even the deepet wounds that can come through the love of God and family. No assumptions, either; he made himself very clear. Which I took as a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is very nearly alway good for someone to bare their soul.

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Nov 23, 2013 22:17:53   #
AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State
 
rumitoid wrote:
It is not pre-judgment; most importantly from personal experience and only secondarily what he shared about himself. I did not tell you his whole story and will not. My point was along the line of what Ipnamjor said: the healing from even the deepet wounds that can come through the love of God and family. No assumptions, either; he made himself very clear. Which I took as a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is very nearly alway good for someone to bare their soul.


It was my perception that things he said to you made you question whether there were child abuse issues. You indicated after some comments made by him, you may have been "checking" on the children seeking potential issues. Thus was the reason for my comment. It may have simply been a perception on my part. I have been somewhat snarky, in a snit, etc. etc. etc. for several days.

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Nov 23, 2013 23:04:19   #
rumitoid
 
AuntiE wrote:
It was my perception that things he said to you made you question whether there were child abuse issues. You indicated after some comments made by him, you may have been "checking" on the children seeking potential issues. Thus was the reason for my comment. It may have simply been a perception on my part. I have been somewhat snarky, in a snit, etc. etc. etc. for several days.


No need to explain; I can see how you came to that perception and it was a good one without the full story of the day or what I was thinking. Better that you challenge me on something like this than not; I trust your intentions and motivations and heart. No offense when you act as you do. You are honest, and that trumps everything.

Seeing how the kids were was a way of checking his "temperature." Was he in any danger? With three men he could relate to and respect, coming from where he came from, an intervention might be called for that had a chance of success. He is damaged but not dangerous. He is not exactly happy, yet I see a good chance for that happen.

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