ARCHIVE - SITREP: Homeland 2021
I’ll give you the bottom line up front, folks, this is not a political post. I’m penning this Substack post while images of atrocities overseas fill my newsfeed. Vitrol. Hatred. Concern. Fear. Submission. Uncertainty.
Whether you’re on one side or another is irrelevant right now. We have our feelings, our gut instincts, and our moral opinions over how the situation in Afghanistan could have, or should have played out.
My first question to you is: Are you okay?
If you can visualize my face, know that I’m projecting concern like a father to his son or daughter.
A lot of you will say, “Yeah, I’m fine.” But deep down inside, you know you’re looking for somewhere to vent. I cannot stress enough that you need to share your feelings. You need to vent. If we don’t already talk on a regular basis, reach out to me on my Instagram page. This isn’t an attempt to build more followers, this is a legitimate avenue for you to express your feelings and share with me your thoughts.
Some of you may feel comfortable with saying you truly feel fine. You don’t accept the results of recent events (or maybe you do), but you don’t immediately feel an overly negative emotional response.
The image of the operator is often that of a warrior. Stone-cold and hardened, the operator “embraces the suck” and moves on in life. That’s Hollywood, folks. A real operator seeks mental health, in whatever form that may be, and isn’t afraid to admit his or her doubts.
My second question is: Have you checked on your battle buddies?
A battle buddy could be someone you’ve stood next to on the frontlines, whether at home or abroad. Not all battle buddies served in the military, either. A battle buddy could be your wife, girlfriend, husband, boyfriend, son, daughter, grandfather, Bible study leader… We all have our battle buddies. They need us right now, if for nothing else, than to know that their fellow battle buddy is checking in.
During his January 5, 1993 address at West Point, former United States President George HW Bush imparted the following wisdom on the graduating cadets:
“Leadership, well, it takes many forms. It can be political or diplomatic. It can be economic or military. It can be moral or spiritual leadership. Leadership can take any one of these forms, or it can be a combination of them.”
I close this post with some challenges for you, my reader. Become a leader today by checking on your battle buddies. When you open your social media feed and notice yourself spending hours doom-scrolling past the drama of the day, take a moment to breathe in the clean air of America. Call your battle buddy and have a productive conversation about how you feel.
You never know who needs to hear your voice.
