Every warrior comes away with their own demons, but the greater the scars the greater the pain.
I was in the Army during Vietnam and most of those poor guys that came back were sad & scary figures.
God bless them all.
No "every warrior" does not, because (a) not "every warrior" has such "demons" in the first place and (b) not "every warrior" spends the ENTIRE rest of their life expelling any "demons" they did obtain; if they ever had them in the first place.
Some people were never cut out to be soldiers in the first place.
"I was in the Army during Vietnam and most of those poor guys that came back were sad & scary figures."
Again, NOT TRUE.
Of the approximately 2.6 million soldiers who served "in country" during the Vietnam war, "MOST" of them DID NOT return as "sad & scary figures". A "great number"?? Yes. Most? No. "Most" came back as and remained well adjusted individuals.
Just like the case with the young hero of this story; we need to honor his record of bravery, heroism, love of country, and desire and drive to help his fellow vets. But, "MOST" returning vets from the Iraq and Afghan theaters are NOT living with his demons or meeting his tragic end. As real and tragic as these stories are, they are never reflective of MOST vets. MOST vets do not develop such demons and among those who do, MOST are made of stronger stuff in dealing with them.