Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a Warrior.

In May of 2010 I was notified I would be deployed to Afghanistan. I had no idea the type of life changing journey I was about to embark upon. I packed my bags and boarded a plane in September 2010; never to live the life I thought I had. Things changed, people clanged, I changed. I had lots of experiences, I did lots of things: some good, some bad, some will declare themselves in time.

Every month I wrote a newsletter to my friends and family. As my deployment evolved, I came to understand and reconcile the challenges I faced home and abroad. The newsletter, it became something so much more than words on a page, it became my way of surviving. Many have told me that this writing gave them a view of Afghanistan and the soldiers/sailors who are there they never had before. I hope to continue this here.

My hope is to continue writing here.  I am home in person but, torn over the experiences.  Through sharing I hope to bring awareness to a situation that most preferred to be forgotten.

I hope you find some understanding of what truly happens to sons of liberty while reading this. Afghanistan is a very complicated place, it is not all demons and evil.  As much as we would like to think we have this figured out I assure you we do not.

Warmest Regards,

Jeremy Young

February 2014