Just when things were right..

My brother left for Iraq 5 days ago. Afghanistan to be exact. He is to be there until August.  I remember when this whole "war"-whatever situation started. They broad casted all over the place. Now, nothing. Is that to lead people to believe that its not just as big of a deal as it was before? Is that to "trick" the mind into pretending it doesn't exist anymore? ...without visuals, there comes no disturbance?

My cousin Anthony, who was like a brother to me my whole life went to Fallujah, Iraq a few years ago. He came back with three gun shot wounds to the abdomen. I remember getting the phone call. Army calls, says they need to speak with his mother...and of course, his mother was no where to be found. They wouldn't tell me anything. So here I am, by myself, trying to find this woman who is only god knows where, thinking the entire time- He's dead. Its horrible. When all was said and done, he was in a secondhand hospital somewhere in Germany...being told it would take three weeks to get him back to the states. After one whole month, he was finally transferred to Washington DC. A month. Turns out most of the man in his squad were either blown up or shot. He was a tank driver. As he climbed out of the tank, "they" shot him. Three times. He was only 18 years old when he joined the army.

Now, that's gotta be the scariest thing to ever go through. Lying there, bleeding to death, unsure of your surrounding, far from anything that is in any way familiar.

When he recovered, and was actually able to stay home for a little bit, he wasn't Tony anymore. He was someone else. Almost like he had been brainwashed. I think that even though he survived, the whole ordeal killed some part of him. He still- to this day, is not the same.

With all this being said...comes my baby brother. He is in the marines. I don't really know him very well, and haven't had much of a chance to try. I do know this- I am scared for him. If my "Father" did anything for him, I hope he taught him to be brave. To be safe. To be strong.