You may be asking yourself “why the hell is he going to Afghanistan, isn’t it dangerous there?” And the answer to your question is a resounding “yes,” but I am going because I am an Army Officer for the United States and sometimes one must put on the uniform and boots and go to war. However, this trip isn’t without it’s perks, by doing such a mission one can advance their career, get training and experience that will never be available again, and can learn great deals about themselves at an emotional and psychological level.
In war, as in other stressful periods of one’s life, a new awareness of one’s inner thoughts and desires begins to show. The days become long and arduous as the winter months pass slowly. In the Summer, the sun pounds upon your head persistently, never faltering, but always powerful. My mind will bend towards thoughts of family and life in my home country, but my will will force me to drive on with the day to day operations. Often I think about my future plans, my goals and the life I will have with my wife and son in the days after the deployment. However, the days after the deployment might never come, for this is war, and only war itself can dictate my life; not I, nor my rifle.
The will of a man can be determined through his patriotism. No great leader has said this, but I believe this as the best men and women I have met had more patriotism and passion then most. When the shots are firing and the smoke is in the air, you want the person that can be trusted with your life next to you, and more than likely, those people have shown a great deal of patriotism.
The duration of this tour will be 400 days, give or take, from February 2009 as the starting point. The tour should allow for a trip back to the states for time with my family (and I hope that I’ll be able to choose this time). I shall do my best to continue to maintain a social presence, but saying that it will be hard is an understatement. I wish all of my friends good luck and fun in their lives.
Rockin,
1LT Ryan Keeter
Going to Afghanistan from ryankeeter on Vimeo..