I watched The Hurt Locker over the weekend. The film resonated with me very intensely. I understand why some feel the story is a collection of vignettes. For me, the vignettes are the story; they reflect the contents of a tour. For me, nothing happened the way that it does for the characters, but the vignettes capture the essence of what goes on. There is an Apocalypse Now aspect to the film that I appreciate as being perfectly applicable. We had a guy who came straight from Afghanistan to our unit, then to Iraq. He tried civilian life and just couldn't hang. Last I knew, he'd found another Guard unit to take him back to Afghanistan. There but for the grace of God...
Unfortunately, my wife has just watched it, too. All sorts of bad juju has just been dredged up. I'm going to be living with her anger over my deployment and unfavorable comparisons with my pre-Iraq self until death do us part. I'm beginning to feel like no man should marry until he's forty and has endured all of the manhood experiences he needs to endure (and, preferably, has already made his fortune). If my wife hadn't known me before Iraq, I wouldn't have to hear about all of the things I used to be but am not anymore or all the things I am today but didn't used to be.
Webstral
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