The Darkness
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
Growing up in Charleston, West Virginia, I got the experience of living near a city, but was never more than 20 minutes away from “the country”. I bring this up because without the ambient glow of city lights, it can get very dark. Or at least I mistakenly thought that was dark. I took a ..read more
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Farewell to the Greatest Generation
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
The recent commemoration of the bombing at Pearl Harbor was the first time in over seven decades that no survivors of the USS Arizona were able to attend the event. There are still five living veterans from the USS Arizona, but all are in their upper 90s and were unable to make the journey. While ..read more
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A Christmas Thank You!
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
December 24, 2018: Approximately 8:30pm; Here are some quotes from around my house: “Thank God they finally went to sleep.” “Is this everything or are we missing a bag?” “Are you sure Santa has to wrap all these presents?” “Are we sure we got the kids enough?” “Holy crap we spent too much money! These ..read more
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First Impression
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”. A catchy slogan from a Secret women’s deodorant ad campaign that I remember growing up; as well as I’m sure for countless other products throughout the years. This cliché statement is also a painful lesson learned going into my second deployment, which haunted me ..read more
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You Might Be a Veteran if…
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
Being in the military changes all of us in different ways, but there are some commonalities that we all share. Here are some tell-tale signs you are a veteran! 1. You can sleep anywhere and in any condition. Whether it be basic training sleeping while holding a newspaper up to cover your face or the ..read more
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My First Sandstorm
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
Early in 2001, I was an eager Lieutenant, ready to set the Army world on fire. I graduated from college in December 2000 and was scheduled to completed Officer Training School from January through May 2001. From there, I was going to complete a training mission in Kentucky in the summer and after that, I ..read more
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A Small Dangerous World
20 Year Letter
by Andy Daugherty
3y ago
When I was 19 years old I was sent to Saudi Arabia and Iraq as part of Operation Desert Storm. The last wartime Op the 82nd conducted was the attack and destruction of the Basrah Airport. We essentially shelled it into non-existence. On one particular fire mission we struck something that exploded like the 4th ..read more
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An Afghani Thanksgiving
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
It was Thanksgiving Day 2002, my first “real” holiday away from home and I missed everything, particularly the food. I had been in Afghanistan just over two months and I knew that I wasn’t getting anything home cooked, but at the same time, my body was just craving a real meal that reminded me a ..read more
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Joining the Army is Like Buying a Car!
20 Year Letter
by Ben Warner
3y ago
A parallel of the frustration and uncertainty around two major life events; buying a car and surprisingly joining the military ..read more
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