When A Soldier Comes Home

---I got this in an email. Thought I'd share it with you guys.

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME
This email is being circulated around the world - please keep it going

When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard....

..to listen to his son whine about being bored.

....to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.

...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.

..to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

...to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.

..to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.

....to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to
send their kids off to summer camp.

....to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.

....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee
being cold.

....to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.

.....to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

..to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of
vacation a year.

....to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier..

Is loving one.

Well, seeing as I can relate to this as I did do a tour in Afghanistan (9 months). Though, I did not have a girlfriend to come home to our anything like that. I didn't come home with a bad case of PTSD, I left the Canadian Forces shortly after for other reasons. I saw some combat and that was that. The Army trained me how to handle myself, it was handled and I moved on once I got out of the army, only thing that bugs me now is the sound of mortar.

''to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.'' I'd like to elaborate on this part. In the Canadian Force you get 3-4 weeks in december 3-4 weeks in the summers. And then every single holiday in between... I still complain about my lack of holidays.

PS: Everything that is mentioned in that e-mail we all griped about overseas.

I am two sided on thiss. soldiers look at things so much differently when they come home from war. They don't find it hars to do things, they are greatful to be home and look at life in a new perspective and never take a day for granted. Yes, they are changed, but believe me 9 times out of 10 that person will be more understanding and compassionate. I mean I have mad love for anayone risking their lives overseas to protect this country.. But it is hard loving a soldier.. It really is. But they have it way harder

This whole notion that people come back with a new perspective is true some what, I noticed what I was doing was wrong in that perspective but I didn't come home and see everything in a new light. I was glad to be home though. And protecting your country? Come on, honestly. They're not protecting you at all, period. That's not why any soldier is anywhere, it's to protect investments.

When you swear your oath on your day of enrollment at least here in Canada I am swearing an oath to protect what the CANADIAN GOVERNMENT decides I should be protecting if that means a blade of grass than it's a blade of grass. If they want me to protect an investment overseas, I am obligated to do so. Where this honour in shooting people in a third world country comes from is beyond me? I didn't feel any honour, I didn't feel I was protecting my mother from some guy making money off an opium field.

The only thing harder than being a soldier is loving a soldier? I'll pretend i didn't read that, cause it's one of the dumbest things i've ever heard.

And i agree with Ryan. We complained about the same things over there, and when i came back, there was a change, no doubt about it, but not in any of those ways.

I don't know where people come up with the ideas of how soldiers take things, and how they are affected.

I second that notion