Travis, have you considered writing an article or even a book? You are a good writer and obviously very smart and thoughtful, as well as knowledgeable about a lot of different topics. I have learned a lot from reading your comments.
Travis, have you considered writing an article or even a book? You are a good writer and obviously very smart and thoughtful, as well as knowledgeable about a lot of different topics. I have learned a lot from reading your comments.
I'm 200+ pages into my own personal story that I hope to share some day, but have had a bit of writer's block lately, partly because there are parts of my post-service life that still feel very shameful and embarrassing to me. I'm getting through some of that personal shame via therapy, specifically the "internal family system" way of understanding the self and all of its parts that are sort of showcased in the Pixar film "Inside Out." I'm only dedicating about 1/3rd of the book to the experiences of combat, because I want the focus to be on what happens to us *after* combat and not during. There are a million books written by veterans about combat, but very few are written about the struggles we face *after* we get back, probably because those parts are less about glory or valor and are often more so about personal mistakes and failures, but those are also the parts that future veterans will need to be better prepared for when they get out. Combat training, while often not sufficient for the realities of combat we face, is at least *an attempt* to prepare you for what you're going to face. Entire field doctrines are written about it. The one thing you don't get training for is how to readjust to being an individual when you get out and what to expect when you do get out. Very little has been written about those parts, and I feel like most of us face that new challenge completely unprepared, which sets our expectations in a bad way. We expected combat to be the hard part and returning home to be the easy part when so often the reverse is true.
I got the idea to start writing when I was listening to a podcast called "Third Squad." It was a passing detail that involved infantry Marines from 1st MarDiv reading books like Bob Lecky's "Helmet for my Pillow" or Eugen Sledge's "With the Old Breed"--stories written by infantry Marines of the same division during WWII. That passing moment really spoke to me because I realized that veterans who never knew each other or never lived during the same periods could still speak to one another across time. That was extremely powerful and was an eye-opener for me. Equally powerful was understanding that Marines past and present spent a lot of time talking about their combat experiences, but not enough about their return home experiences. I had to find Homer's "The Odyssey" before I found a story that came close to touching on that aspect. The part in The Shawkshank Redemption when Brooks gets out of prison as an old man and has to readapt is probably the closest thing in art to capture that sense of being lost that I've found. That and the scene at the end of Hurt Locker where he's lost at the grocery store before going off to another deployment.
I hope that if for nothing else, sharing my nothing-special average Joe story will at least get more guys like me to write about their post-service experiences and to get to a point where that kind of thing is more normalized and we can end the stigma of our own personal self-shaming.
There is no such thing as a nothing-special average Joe. Each of us is unique, A one of a kind. And each of us has a story. But some stories are more significant in the Story of Us All. Yours is one of those. Because it reverberates through so very many of us and through the story of the country and probably of mankind. It takes courage and honesty to even think about writing it. Good for you, Travis! (Keep us posted on the pre-order.)
Keep at it, Travis. I will pre-order! And give copies to all and sundry! You've got a lot of us here who are pulling for you, and I always learn something from your posts.
What Carolyn says! I always look forward to reading what you have written when I can, and often learn something. I look forward to reading your personal story in full!
It is wonderful that you are writing about what happens to soldiers after they get home. This needs to become a widely known and accepted issue so that just like there is training for combat, there is a system for training and ongoing support for reintegration into society for veterans after combat.
My bet is that a whole bunch of us in the Bulwark community are cheering you on in your writing project and would love to read it.
I looked up the "Internal Family Systems Model" of therapy and it sounds really interesting. I'm glad you are getting therapy and that it's helping.
I looked up"No Bad Parts" and it's now on my list. I am part of a small group that selects books and writes questions for online book studies whose target audience is teachers and counselors of children and adolescents with emotional disabilities and other disabilities. Many of these students have experienced a lot of trauma that is hindering them from becoming happy and successful. This approach might be a helpful way for the adults to think about those they work with.
Travis, have you considered writing an article or even a book? You are a good writer and obviously very smart and thoughtful, as well as knowledgeable about a lot of different topics. I have learned a lot from reading your comments.
I'm 200+ pages into my own personal story that I hope to share some day, but have had a bit of writer's block lately, partly because there are parts of my post-service life that still feel very shameful and embarrassing to me. I'm getting through some of that personal shame via therapy, specifically the "internal family system" way of understanding the self and all of its parts that are sort of showcased in the Pixar film "Inside Out." I'm only dedicating about 1/3rd of the book to the experiences of combat, because I want the focus to be on what happens to us *after* combat and not during. There are a million books written by veterans about combat, but very few are written about the struggles we face *after* we get back, probably because those parts are less about glory or valor and are often more so about personal mistakes and failures, but those are also the parts that future veterans will need to be better prepared for when they get out. Combat training, while often not sufficient for the realities of combat we face, is at least *an attempt* to prepare you for what you're going to face. Entire field doctrines are written about it. The one thing you don't get training for is how to readjust to being an individual when you get out and what to expect when you do get out. Very little has been written about those parts, and I feel like most of us face that new challenge completely unprepared, which sets our expectations in a bad way. We expected combat to be the hard part and returning home to be the easy part when so often the reverse is true.
I got the idea to start writing when I was listening to a podcast called "Third Squad." It was a passing detail that involved infantry Marines from 1st MarDiv reading books like Bob Lecky's "Helmet for my Pillow" or Eugen Sledge's "With the Old Breed"--stories written by infantry Marines of the same division during WWII. That passing moment really spoke to me because I realized that veterans who never knew each other or never lived during the same periods could still speak to one another across time. That was extremely powerful and was an eye-opener for me. Equally powerful was understanding that Marines past and present spent a lot of time talking about their combat experiences, but not enough about their return home experiences. I had to find Homer's "The Odyssey" before I found a story that came close to touching on that aspect. The part in The Shawkshank Redemption when Brooks gets out of prison as an old man and has to readapt is probably the closest thing in art to capture that sense of being lost that I've found. That and the scene at the end of Hurt Locker where he's lost at the grocery store before going off to another deployment.
I hope that if for nothing else, sharing my nothing-special average Joe story will at least get more guys like me to write about their post-service experiences and to get to a point where that kind of thing is more normalized and we can end the stigma of our own personal self-shaming.
There is no such thing as a nothing-special average Joe. Each of us is unique, A one of a kind. And each of us has a story. But some stories are more significant in the Story of Us All. Yours is one of those. Because it reverberates through so very many of us and through the story of the country and probably of mankind. It takes courage and honesty to even think about writing it. Good for you, Travis! (Keep us posted on the pre-order.)
Keep at it, Travis. I will pre-order! And give copies to all and sundry! You've got a lot of us here who are pulling for you, and I always learn something from your posts.
Thank you <3
What Carolyn says! I always look forward to reading what you have written when I can, and often learn something. I look forward to reading your personal story in full!
It is wonderful that you are writing about what happens to soldiers after they get home. This needs to become a widely known and accepted issue so that just like there is training for combat, there is a system for training and ongoing support for reintegration into society for veterans after combat.
My bet is that a whole bunch of us in the Bulwark community are cheering you on in your writing project and would love to read it.
I looked up the "Internal Family Systems Model" of therapy and it sounds really interesting. I'm glad you are getting therapy and that it's helping.
I'm reading Richard Schwartz's "No Bad Parts" right now and finding it very helpful if you're interested in further reading.
I looked up"No Bad Parts" and it's now on my list. I am part of a small group that selects books and writes questions for online book studies whose target audience is teachers and counselors of children and adolescents with emotional disabilities and other disabilities. Many of these students have experienced a lot of trauma that is hindering them from becoming happy and successful. This approach might be a helpful way for the adults to think about those they work with.
Mary, are you familiar with "The Drama of the Gifted Child"? If not, might be worth your while.