I hope everyone is having an enjoyable start to their weekend. I have several books I will be reviewing soon, but I really wanted to share this experience first.
It was rather humbling and I think every so often...we all need a humbling moment.
I have both friends and family in the military. I also "adopted" two soldiers last year through an incredible organization called "Adopt a US Soldier". We wrote letters, sent them packages from home. Now that they are stateside, we have continued our friendship. We have discussed some of their experiences "over there" and what it was like to return home. This brings me to my experience the other morning.
I was in the gas station getting coffee (don't gasp, they have really good coffee) and a gentleman was standing in front of me. He was taller than me (everyone is lol) and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Pretty average looking. As I was standing there, I noticed the scars. He had thick, angry looking shrapnel scars running up the outside of his left leg, arm, neck and face. The heavier scarring being on his leg and arm, but I was standing right behind him so my proximity made it easier to see the remainder of them. I observed quickly, because I didn't want to be rude and went back to my phone.
He was next in line. He put his coffee down and asked for a pack of cigarettes. He went to go swipe his credit card and it didn't work. The clerk was telling him it wasn't declined, but she was unable to tell him the exact reason why it wouldn't work. He started to flush a little and when he went to put his card back in his wallet, I noticed that the activation sticker was still on the back. I made a split second decision and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at me and I motioned him out of line.
I told him I noticed the sticker and that it looked like the reason why his card may not be working was that it wasn't activated. He looked embarrassed and I told him it seriously happened all the time. I told him he could activate it on his cell phone and it should work almost immediately. He reached for his pockets and if possible, looked even more embarrassed. He had forgotten his cell phone.
"I seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately."
I asked if I could assist. He handed me his card, I called the number on my cell and activated it. I handed it back to him and he thanked me. He said that a lot of people aren't so nice. He paid for his purchases, thanked me again and left. I paid for my coffee and I also left.
I called my friend, the soldier and told him what happened. He said that he probably had a TBI (traumatic brain injury) caused by a close range explosion. TBI's cause memory loss along with other physical and psychological reactions. My friend also has symptoms of a TBI due to an IED explosion that rocked a tank he was in. He showed me the pictures and I almost got sick. You can't even imagine, truly.
After I hung up with my friend, I realized exactly what my humbling moment was. The guy at the gas station was my age. And suffering from such acute memory loss with absolutely to way to fix it. I forget stuff all the time, but most of the time I can remedy that. There is no fix for what this gentleman is going through. And without treatment, it may actually get worse.
So, with my coffee that morning, I had a moment that I am sure will remain in my mind for a long time. And I hope our brief exchange made it feel a little better about people.
If you would like more information about Adopt a US Soldier please visit adoptaussoldier.org
Have a good weekend!
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