The fact that he is using Anakin Skywalker as his avatar while talking about his experiences as a soldier to VR Pooh Bear makes it feel more complete somehow.
Honestly though I feel bad for him I feel how he does sometimes like when your out there your just a pawn sure you could say that your fighting for your freedom but are you really cause all your really doing is fighting against your will and against a lot of other people who do the same to them and you your strangers who don't have a reason to kill one another but as we do our government can just sit back and watch as they do so now I know I know it's not fair to say our government just does it for a buzz but considering the stuff they have been caught doing after all this time it's not to far to think that way because of it and people are getting tired of it me included what ever happened to putting your people first
@@geezotics it’s different when you’re in a combat MOS. I was an 11b that showed to my first unit with shattered hips from airborne school that I had hid. Did a ruck March my first day and had a level 3 break in both hips. Spent the next year there in a bottle contemplating suicide because I joined to fight for my brothers and I couldn’t. To me I didn’t give a fuck wether I lived or died. I contemplated suicide everyday because my friends were getting blown up and killed while I sat in the barracks unable to walk. Been out almost a year now and I still have nightmares and bad anxiety over how I feel about my buddies that fell when I was supposed to be protecting them.
Him describing all the guys in his bunk with obvious neurological disorders... Like those are literally the symptoms of lead poisoning. that's so nuts.
I am usually this person telling everyone horror stories. Hearing him talk about all of this just reminds me of what almost everyone who has a combat or mechanical job in the military deals with.
As a kid, I was told that anyone who went into the military had it made. I didn't go in the military, I was disqualified due to reasons. I felt regret. Now, I have passed four decades, and every military person I have known personally has some kind of health or mental issue. Every. Single. One. I don't know why the military breaks their soldiers so hard. We have an excellent military, but after the people get out, we fail them. I wish we could help them better, they deserve good treatment for all that they protect.
Not just the military but veterans. They make it seem like veterans are living it up rich as shit. We're not. VA care is a joke and the steps you have to take just to get any type of care of benefits are too much. The part were he mentioned about the guy having the shakes is true. Since I've been out my hands shake so much people constantly ask " what's with your hand?" Almost mocking me and they dont listen when I try to explain it.
Thats because the military markets themselves towards the poor and middle class, uses them for whatever agenda is necessary no matter how hard it breaks them mentally and physically, and then kicks them to the curb after their contract is over. American prosperity is paid with young mens blood. Thats the truth Americans need to hear and understand. Everyone is enjoying the benefits in America, does that make everyone complicit for turning a blind eye to these sacrifices? Everyone loves being the premiere country, loves having more new technology to buy, and knowing no one can stand up to us because of our indomitable military might. Being number one comes at a cost, a cold, disgusting price that is paid every day, every week, and every year. Yet I dont know how to make sense of it morally.
@@nickcox1408 No one respects when someone is sick or has issues. I don't understand this. I know that as a young person, I never knew what to say to someone. But now that I am older, I listen to people. It took me a little while to grow up and understand that it is okay not to be afraid of someone who has an ailment that can't be fixed. I remember going to school with kids who made fun of others when others were hurt. Those kids grew up, and you can bet as adults they still do that stuff. It's only when it happens to them that they want everyone to listen to their problems. As you can see, I am pretty disappointed in how people treat one another.
@@WailOfDoom Yes, our country's power is run on the blood of young people. There are some things that could change if the government changed practices, such as making guys run that burn pile which spews out chemicals and gives the soldiers cancer. I remember talking to a former military man who said they trained in some swamp land out in the eastern states, but the swamp had been a chemical dumping site for some companies before the laws changed in the 1980's or so. So these kids were running around in chemicals, breaking out in rashes, headaches, throwing up. But no one removed them from training in that site. I don't know why we put our young soldiers in unhealthy situations when we need them to be healthy in case of war? Maybe the top brass figure they are all going to die anyway? But that isn't the way to run a winning scenario.
People don't give themselves enough self love or self worth. I've been there, always putting others before me to a point I would avoid interacting with people because I felt like I was wasting their time and it would be doing them a favour letting them spend time with others.
@@thelastflame64 A combination of things, it wasn't a simple "When the fire nation attacked" where I could point to one single event that made me change my outlook. I tried to downplay the things I used to overthink, most of the time all the worst case scenarios I worried about were very very unlikely to happen and I jist got worked up over nothing. I learned to accept that as an adult, it is upto me to decide what makes me happy and no one else is responsible for that. I am also not responsible for other people's happiness. Now that does not mean "be a dick and don't care about anyone", you should still always strive to be nice to others as that bit of niceness can really help people in day to day life BUT don't put someone's happiness solely on yourself. That's something they need to figure out for themselves and relying on someone else to be happy or make you "whole" leads to it being draining for both people. Self worth and self love also helps a lot when it comes to dating and the types of people you let into your life. If you only love or value yourself 10%, and you date someone who gives you 20%, to you that will seem like they love you at least twice as much as you thought possible. So even if that person is toxic, lies, cheats, manipulates or is physically/emotionally abusive In reality, because they "love you" that 20% you will likely try to cling to that (this is why a lot of abuse victims stay with their abuser because they don't value themselves enough to think they deserve better). If you love yourself, respect yourself and value yourself 100% then you won't accept anything less, someone would have to show you love 100% or even more to really be worth you wanting to spend time together and build a life together and if someone was only going to show you that 20% you're not gonna get hung up on dodging that.
"I killed a tree and then two people under it." There's something so sad, yet powerful about what he said here. "I killed a tree" is not a phrase many people would opt to use. I guess it's just goes to show that being put in a situation where you are made to take a life, just makes you more aware of all the forms it takes.
I think it speaks more to the fact that by this point, he was desensitized or at least mentally trying to be desensitized to the violence he's inflicted upon others. By describing as such, makes it seek like he's less culpable of their deaths, in a way where the responsibility of what killed them doesn't lie solely on him.
That's the feeling you have when you go to war. The very last thing you ever want to do is let the guy next to you down. Or be the one that can't do the mission that you've trained your entire military career to do. If you can't do the mission then what the fuck are you doing in the military? No one wants to be dead weight in a war zone. I totally get what Struggle was talking about.
VR is unironically a surprisingly good medium for storytelling. I liked that at 11:12 he was able to use body language and hand gestures to express the environment, just as you’d do if you were telling a story in real life. Helped paint a more visceral picture in my minds eye for sure. There’s probably something to be said about the anonymity of the internet making traumatic stuff easier to speak about, paired with how VR can make a story more compelling or gripping by way of making it feel more like an in person experience.
@nashaleatpo What a pathetic excuse of a god someone who can create all but can't stop someone going in his church and shooting his followers a god too weak to control his emotions and when overwhelmed with rage he takes it out on his own creations good ol lucy had it right when he tried overthrowing the stupid bastard
All jokes aside, hats off to this channel for letting the vet talk about all of his experiences without interruption or judgement like a true bro. God bless this guy and I hope he finds peace. Another case of the gaming community showing how amazing they are.
@@johnjohnson201 To be fair, typically that asshole might just be a person going through the "lashing out" phase of something. Where you want to fight everyone no matter what. That same person in 1-5 years might be someone totally different. Could be wrong, but just a thought.
I wanna thank Syrmor for taking the time to listen to this story. Not many civilians want to hear about the messy parts of GWoT without throwing in their two cents or judging those of us that did the best we could as human beings in very inhumane circumstances. It's takes a compassionate soul to truly listen and gain some insight on how the war went down and how it affects those of us that were there and carry this weight. Big props for putting forth the time and effort to create and share this with the world. It gives an invaluable, unbiased insight into the struggles each of us in the veteran community have with what we experienced. To Struggle: Thank you for the courage to share your story brother. Each of us carry scars on our souls from the GWoT and what we experienced. You're definitely not alone in this. Even though I was already done with my time in the service before you went in, my unit had help from your brothers in the JTAC/Gunship community in my trips overseas, they saved our asses on multiple occasions. Don't ever feel like what you did was for nothing or let the bad experiences taint the gratitude we knuckle draggers extend to you. The RoE sucked. ISIS and the Taliban being cowardly enough to use women and children as shields, or even worse sending them to carry out attacks... that especially sucked. So many of our brothers and sisters on the ground and in the air have stories where unfortunately civilians got caught in the crossfire or bad intel or poor comms led to the wrong target or simply having to make a gut call in a shit moment and seeing it go belly up and sideways. I've buried brothers in the years after our time in the war because they couldn't forgive themselves but felt too much shame to reach out. That is the worst pain in the world. Even if you never meant for this to be a tool of encouragement when you chose to share your story that day, that is what this serves as now. To Struggle and any other veteran that may stumble across this: Keep being honest about your struggles. Keep talking about it. Peace is a precious treasure for us that sometimes we find hardest to keep in our grasp, but if the veteran community sticks together, it's easier to hold onto to. Celebrate the good memories. Celebrate the dumb shit you did with your brothers to waste time. Celebrate the memories of brothers and sisters lost, and keep diligent to do your best and be your best every day living the fullest life you can to honor the sacrifice and memories of those that no longer have the chance. Much love to you and all those in the JTAC and air support community from myself and all the other knuckle draggers of the 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne.
thank you for your service. In time the sacrifices you’ve made will be paid in the most rewarding and meaningful way possible. I hope you have a great night or day where ever you are at. May god take care of you for taking care of the people you care about. So again thank you from me for the people who didn’t have the opportunity to say it :) have a good one brother✌️
Technically it probably shouldn't since the guy is anonymous and therefore it can't be proved that he was ever in the military. I mean I believe him just because his story has the ring of truth, but for research purposes there are better sources.
It's so nice that video games can be used just to hang out with people and talk about stuff anonymously. Life is so isolated nowadays with social media and dating apps that it's good to see people get their social needs get at least a little met on game servers.
I started drinking after coming back from Iraq. It definitely destroyed my life. I felt guilt for surviving and it led to me getting arrested one night. I remember sitting in jail, eating this cold ass sandwich thinking how did I go from being a non-commissioned officer in the Army to being locked up. After my marriage ended I went home to live with my parents in worse condition then when I left for the military. I stopped drinking, remarried and I am in school for electrical engineering.I don’t drink anymore and I cook every night. I attended culinary school and its my outlet. Every time I cook I remember those nasty ass sandwiches. Thank you for sharing this, every time i hear this stuff it reminds me I’m not alone and I don’t have to walk around like Im in a foreign country.
This video will be a Time Capsule of the days we live in. The future will look back on this as a timeless record of the past, when all these men are dead and gone. This video, a single soldier’s retelling his experience while he’s still relatively young, his body language retained, but uniquely on primitive VR.
if you want to understand what having PTSD is like, Struggle really captures it at 18:26 when he describes trying to process his trauma. After crying for hours, it is natural to feel catharsis, and after a few night's sleep you'd expect to start letting go. PTSD is when that catharsis never comes; that mental pain is now a permanent part of you now, and your only choice is how you're going to deal with it. It's why the condition is known for dehabilitating some of the toughest people on the planet "If animals were to be inflicted with shellshock, they'd go find that quiet corner to die." - Charles Samuel Myers
I hate that mental issues still have that air of shame associated with them. No one would dare shame a veteran or active service member who had to take some time to recover from a bullet or shrapnel wound. People still try to say that PTSD is some form of weakness. Where I think it really is just as direct a result of what we ask these men and women to do as those bullet and shrapnel wounds.
@@warriorsofftime2782 I hate that some people have that attitude. They deserve to be taken care of for life from any injury they sustain during their service. My understanding is that it isn't easy to get that and that is insane to me. The cost of a conflict isn't just in the money it takes to buy all the weapons and ammo. It is also the cost of taking care of the people who went to go fight for the rest of their lives.
You all really got bamboozled by this guy. Ignore him, he's just spamming the comments to get people like you upset. What does he gain from it? I dunno but you gain nothing from feeding into his nonsense.
I had a friend that had the exact same thing happen. Young stoner encouraged to go into the military. He came back completely mentally destroyed. Ended up taking his own life. I am glad that this guy seems to be coping ok. These stories need to be told ❤
My buddy made a joke about killing himself during suicide awareness training, nothing too crazy, we use dark humor to combat the mundane and fucked up things we experience. I knew he needed help but sometimes you just can’t tell how bad, despite spending almost everyday with that person. I was also struggling mentally but got the help I needed, which is almost a collectors item in the military. I begged him to take the path I did, and I’d take him on Monday to talk to somebody and stop his suffering. Last thing he said to me was “alright Monday, we’ll go to doc”. On Sunday, he passed that pain and suffering onto his family and friends. Miss you bro.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure you made his rough times a lot easier on him, and even if it didn't stop the suffering, at least he had an amazing friend like you.
everytime i hear this statement made this way it reminds me how little people actually understand the rest of the world. better to be here than 98% of the rest of the entire world bud. it aint perfect but it is THE best place to be.
sometimes I feel like people are justified when asking a question because they could be confused by a topic. I think that's fine as long as it's not excessive.
It cut at some points. I’m sure they asked questions and helped him talk. It isn’t easy to tell a story like this. It really helps to have someone helping you say what you feel
This dude is actually a lad for being honest and telling his story. He carries the weight of his actions and takes full responsibility and shows genuine remorse. I wish my future son will be half the man he is.
@@bartb6804 If you have daughter you would hope they would be honest, caring and would be willing to talk with you about their problems just like if you have a son. I would think being a 'man' isn't worth all the hype if you think of some of our older influences are stoic and suffered from alcoholism and being closed off. It didn't mean they didn't care but they weren't the type of people to show affection until they were literally on their death beds. I think it's still a common misconception that men have to be stoic and not show feelings to be considered strong.
PTSD is like a loveless enclosed honey jar that is forgotten on the shelf for years. Sometimes you need to give it some love and let it out and share with the people you love or even strangers, em-hmph-hmph-hmph - Syrmor Winnie The Pooh
PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS. There are probably so many more stories like this and it’s so important to actually hear the horrible things going on in the military
I was robbed in a home invasion about three years ago around this time. On top of being robbed I was going through this horrible relationship. The depression I felt afterwards was so visceral. Nothing made me feel better for a while. This video helped me for some reason start to feel better. It was like therapy to me. Thank you and the guy you interviewed from this video. Helped me get my emotions back on track.
It’s actually perfect because his story kind of lines up with Anakin’s in a way. Not that he turned to the dark side or anything but that he had to make some really tough calls in a war that changed him slowly without him realizing until much later.
@@neonblack211 but it fits because the character, specifically that rendition of the character, can identify totally with the struggle and hardship and pain.
@@giovannigonzalez6984 my best friend still loses sleep over watching elementary age children walk into crowds of civilians and blow themselves up. I'm fortunate enough to have never deployed during my service. But you need to think before you say dumb shit bruh
@@calemccartney7415 the same respect you give your military, the other side gives theirs. Its not like the US military is exactly the embodiment of all that is good and holy in the world.
@@calemccartney7415 And you're assuming that humans on the other side just don't feel? Politics aside, brains are brains, trauma and PSTD don't care what your politics are or where you live.
This video hits deeply in the soul. The utter, horrible reality of war. Nobody should have to endure war. It's so awful, but our leaders will never stop sending kids out to face death and trauma. It hurts knowing that so many soldiers will never, ever be okay again.
you phrased it like people are being conscripted. in America, world's biggest war mafia, mandatory millitary service hasn't been a thing in, what, 60 years, since the Vietnam War? Americans are joining the army willingly and they do not deserve sympathy for it. they are murderers. join the army and after your tour is over go to the country where you used to murder people and tell them you did it to go to college. I'm sure they'll forgive you.
If it wasn't volunteer it would be mandatory. The economic cost of conscription is greater than a volunteer military. Most people in the military don't want to think about the fact that they are killing people. ALso you really think the Taliban isn't a volunteer force? it's volunteer force vs volunteer force....@@doktorhabilitowanystanczyk
Imagine this. you are a veteran soldier telling your worst day as a soldier in a game where one is dressed like Winnie the pooh and you're dressed like Anakin Skywalker from the clone wars series
I don't know how the fuck I ended up in this video nor wtf is this channel about, but I guess Winnie the Pooh and Anakin characters lighten up the mood a bit, you know. Maybe we are seeing a therapeutic use of VR here?
Honestly it could be possible that it is easier to talk about this sort of thing in this medium. Not being face to face but still being able to gesture and talk like a human being could be therapeutic. I wouldn't know though I am fortunate enough to have never experienced anything close to what this guy did.
18:45 “Ignorance is bliss” PTSD is real. There is no going back once you open the bottle, the only way backwards is forwards. Sincerely, 12-yr active duty soldier, Army Skills Identifier, Suicide Intervention NCO.
My cousin was in the military, he got some pretty bad PTSD and when he got out he could not adjust. Well he turned to drugs and we are still not sure if he overdosed or committed suicide. I miss you Chris your dad ain't the same since you left
You know. The only real reason why I don't want to join the army, is because if something happened my parents and my dad especially would probably not take it... Your comments made me see a world where it happened, I don't want to join willing to protect and serve and end up hurting beyond belief the ones I love
Imagine randomly walking in on something like that, some guy just relaying his trauma in combat to Pooh Bear, who calmly listens with a smile. Edit : holy shit.
@Logan Roof isnt your profile picture an actual baby? he didnt blame anyone not even the people shooting at him he just explained the story and his thought processes
@@shinsouhitoshi9030 darn I forgot exactly . Something about the military veterans should go to hell or something like that. But he did have the nazi symbol on his profile pic.
@@kyledodson2992 There's still rockets and shit hitting all our FOBs over there. The threat may not be as clear and present as before, but it definitely still exists.
“When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you... Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion, and you know it can happen to you.” -Ernest Hemingway
@History Aesthetics yea. Unless you roll snake eyes or a nat 1, you dont need to worry unless they are launching dozens. Which is why many MRL battalions launch 50+ through 100+ for effect and suppression.
I feel like every emotion has a big brother. Like true terror is a whole other ballpark than being scared. Or how grief can literally bring you to your knees. I remember seeing my sister with self-inflicted scars on her leg and blood and I'm usually a pretty stoic person when it comes to things like that, but the sadness I felt seeing her like that literally made my body drop, my mom had to catch me. I have NEVER felt that in my life, even though this happened two years ago I still haven't felt that. Even a friend of mine who had a similar experience expressed that the same thing happened to her. It's crazy how strong humans can feel emotion.
My dad was an airforce chaplain at candahar and he’s told us about the rocket attacks- seems crazy. While I can’t completely understand the things you went through My heart is with you and I really appreciate your service and sacrifice.
Honestly, that boy needed someone to really TALK to. He never really had that. That's how Palpatine got his hooks in. Built trust and molded him. Pooh would be good for him.
Him talking about that ambush and getting frustrated over the slow and tedious steps to get authorization instead of just taking immediate action is SO Anakin getting pissed off with the Jedi Council and their careful rules/politics.
@@okentrepreneur3777 anakin tried havin heart 2 heart about losing his mom and afraid of losing padme. the jedis told him to not be attached. they tried to make him less emotional. maybe if he talked to pooh instead of jedis he wouldnt have gone to the dark side.....
The part where he didn’t feel anything after killing was most likely “disassociation”. That’s how lots of people including me are wired to deal with traumatic things. It’s a built in fail safe in the brain to make sure we don’t go completely insane
@Logan Roof imagine being that guy commenting the same comment on every comment you see and no one caring and youre just coming across a salty loser. Imagine that....here's a mirror, might help you imagine.
I come back to this video every 3 months or so to listen to Struggle's story. It's such a tragedy, but the fact that he keeps pushing to this day is a testament to what a fucking inspiration he is.
@@Circuitssmith yes many people aren't given much of a choice given our job economy. In a short term it seems like a GREAT deal but your hit with tons of repercussions over time. But stability is worth it for many people. Which is the real evil of our government
@@jamesswayne2162 The system is cruel, unjust, and most importantly unnecessary. We have the resources, the technology, the understanding to allow for everyone to live comfortably without that comfort running on death and misery. What we have now only exists because it's enormously profitable for a very small percentage of the population.
was just watching the short preview when your scrolling and got hooked. hope this guy is doing better now and glad you sat there and listened to him openly. i’m sure he really needed to tell those stories without someone judging, budging in and asking questions.
To be blunt, this is exactly what he needs. Talking about it is literally the best thing you can do with feelings/emotions like this. Talk till your sick of talking about it, then talk some more. Talk to people that were there, talk to people that serve, talk to your friends and family. Its not going to feel like it at the time and maybe not for a while after (maybe never) but the more you talk about something like this the more your can process it. The hardest parts that initiation opening up and its always gonna be really bad at first but the more you open up the more you allow for your brain to work thru it and/or heal. This is exactly what people do with these mental stresses. They try to "be strong" or "not let their friends and family down by being weak" but that only makes it worse. (an its not just a guy thing but its something you see more of in guys) An that mental block that everyone does is never gonna go away. Its this weird self imposed "thing" everyone does. (just to different degrees)
The problem is they learn from the army. They armed forces have no regard for mental health at all. They went you to do the job, and preferably die in the job so you don't end up a wrecked mess afterwards
DeBrief is (almost the word) with respect, Men are not women, (and even with females) Vocal Repetition (externalising to physical world) of Internalised Ruminations, (so easily/the potential) The Plasticised Neuro incindery that can blow Soul. We, as a World, Must again learn how hear & be there for Men. again, with respect, Maybe Communicate, and Do "life stuffs" Till Heart comes home, not till bored? maybe a better 'limit" could be found, ad well a "how to" to do. not soz for writing in tl;dr mode, o.p. hypes me viglently ;)
@@sed8me69 Holy shit. This is like if an alien was using google translate to communicate with humans. I've never seen anyone use english the way you use it. BUT I will try my best to decipher it. My interpretation is that you believe that vocalizing "internal ruminations" (to borrow your terminology) is efficacious for improving the well being of (mostly) men and their brain's 'neural plasticity'. It also sounds like you are saying more personal attention is important as well, like being attentive to their problems and being present in their lives. But that's about all I can understand.
I was in the military myself. Honestly VR chat helps a lot of us who suffer from PSTD. It is honestly like going to confession for Catholics. Only way I can explain it.
@@crimsondynamo615nothing like hatsuni miku talking about her time in the us special forces in korea and nam and all the while cracking jokes and using area appropriate racial slurs against the commies while going on about the countless war crimes she committed and got away with
Sad that it cant just be a family member or freind in real life as you can see from the one ass hole response people judge way to easily with no real understanding and rather than try they just double down on being holier than thou ive made myself that person to talk to for all the vets i know family and freinds . I dont judge hinestpy i let it all go when the convo is done but i truly try to understand in the moment to show some degree of empathy and i find that goes a long ways i will also keep up with em drinking so that helps lol... point being more people should be like vr pooh bear and just listen
@@TheRealRusDaddywow thanks for your deep understanding for what it is that soldiers deal with. You ever sign up for a credit card when you are young and don't really know what you're doing. The military is not very different. I signed up because I was poor and needed a way out of shitty circumstances. What you don't know is that your soul and mental health take the place of financial burden. Then you get out and no one in your family can even comprehend everything you have been through, then you find a place online for vets to talk and then the comment section gets filled up with shit heads who don't know anything about serving something other than themselves
Serious conversations in VR must be really therapeutic. You're technically there but nobody can see your face, just your avatar, so you don't feel like you need to hold back as much.
@@disknee3384 no, because people gets shy and doesnt lay it all down face to face. Dude by saying doctor doesnt listen is a disrespect to them by itself.
NGL I have had some incredibly deep conversations on vr chat. It is pretty amazing. Just being on the internet with an avatar you like representing your personality instead of normal IRL you with all your trust issue shields up can do some incredible things to help lower those walls. When you run into likeminded people or just really cool people in general you vibe with it becomes really really easy to just talk about those things on your mind you may otherwise not ever tell a soul. It is really quite a magical virtual world they have created with VR chat and the community that comes out of the way they made this game is quite incredible.
Can confirm, was on C-130’s; 5 years after getting out I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer (Leukemia). Docs said I had days to weeks to live. Many months in the hospital, dozens and dozens of blood and platelet transfusions often 3 times a day for weeks at a time. Multiple rounds of the heaviest doses of chemotherapy they were permitted to give (concoctions that had age limitations), relentless total body irradiation treatments at the highest doses possible, and eventually a bone marrow transplant to permanently and completely eradicate my own DNA. Getting fed through an IV for 4-5 weeks because nothing would stay down. Couldn’t walk, couldn’t use the bathroom, praying to God to give me the chance to raise my Daughters and be there for my Wife.. I’ve been on Chemo for over 2 years now. Never expected my 30’s to look like this. We think we’re invincible when we’re young, and I am more fortunate than friends who have already passed, but my Wife and kids have been through hell. Consider your path wisely my friends. While our country has truly been a better place than most, service members are consumable, that’s the reality. And the threat of a swift death is not the only one you should prepare for.
I appreciate you brother. Started working part time today, after getting the go ahead from my Doc. One step at a time. Wishing you and yours well during Thanksgiving my friend. Enjoy the time together.
@@cedricwhite2676 Thanks, Cedric. Hoping at some point to be able to stop taking chemotherapy, but every day is a gift and only God knows the plan. Cherish the time together with loved ones. Prayers and blessings to you and yours, my friend. All praise goes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Was stationed in Germany from 2015-2018 and met one of my closest friends there. We both came from Chicago, both spoke Spanish and seeing how lonely things were, we became like brothers. Well, his ticket came up to deploy and after several months of chatting over social media/skype, he stopped responding. He was 19 years old. He was my best friend and he came home in a casket. I'll never forget hearing his mother cry. I dream about it all the time too. My last few years on base and even today (after separating) have been some of the darkest moments of my life.
You must've been Army son. I know the feeling. Navy, was attached with some army lads. Lost two of em. Three weeks later, Extortion 17 went down with two more friends plus 25+ other blokes. Sometimes it helps to embrace the tears just so you can get it out the way. And other times it's not a crime to keep yourself busy just so you can keep your mind of the pain
I hear about ptsd, but I feel like this guy explained ptsd in a way I can understand. Trapped in your own memory. That’s insanity. And it’s hell to keep telling yourself over and over to just not think about it.
What people fail to realize is that it lingers as well, doesn’t have to come full blown sometimes some noises, colors, etc are off and you’re mind starts working faster than logic. I hear my family whispering and giggling and my mind instantly by default thinks someone has died bc the noises sound like people crying as well. I work in a hospital and have heard every scream and cry imaginable some stick but man does it suck
@@TheScopeGlint this same troll is in multiple comment threads and posting nasty comments and then deleting them or maybe his whole account just got banned or something. What did he say in this thread
The VR characters really bring the story to life in a digestible way oddly enough despite the seriousness of what is being talked about. I could see how VR therapy or even groups of people talking about their problems together in VR could be very beneficial for mental health. Very engaging conversation without the anxiety of talking face to face to someone about the darkest places of your mind.
My CO told us "fuck the rules of engagement, you get yourself out alive and let me worry about the politics afterwards". That's almost an exact quote. edit: I made this comment over 3 years ago, but people are still replying and after skimming the comments I think I need to add context, because my situation wasn't the norm I was in the NAVY, on a VBSS team, basically we boarded anything we found floating in the Indian Ocean, this was over a decade ago when the piracy stuff was at its peak. Our rules of engagement were to not shoot unless shot at first, no matter what they were doing. There were no civilians out on the water, I heard there was human trafficking but I never encountered it, I think it was mainly further east. Our CO told us to basically ignore the rules of engagement. If they have guns and are acting nervous, they're most likely pirates. Don't go casually killing everyone you board, but don't give them the chance to shoot first if you smell bullshit. Out in the middle of the ocean, there wouldn't be any news crews or drones filming anything, and it was sop to sink anything that didn't pass inspection after we left. Him telling us to just make sure we get out alive and ignore the rules of engagement didn't mean anywhere near the same thing it meant for the groundpounders in the sandbox. There were times where we didn't even board, just to be safe. If you look through binos and see a dingy with a bunch of somalians with aks, there's no need to talk to them, the 5 inch could handle it.
Glad my Cold War veteran father talked me out of signing up after 9/11. Time seems to have proven him right. “They’ll play on your patriotism, chew you and your friends up, then spit on you.” I had a deep sympathy for this man. I heard my father cry out in his nightmares, or when he drank, about his buddies.
Your father is a great man for doing that. I know far too many people who will always talk their kids into joining the military, despite knowing the reality of it.
@@MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD My father volunteered for the draft in 1958. Originally, he was assigned to 3rd Army, 82nd Airborne, but then changed to Army Admin and then Army Intelligence/DIA/CIA joint Ops. Anyone in the know will understand when I say that after he went through basic and second eight, he trained at Fort Slocum, New York. He served in the US Army in several theaters including the Caribbean, Central America, but mostly Southeast Asia (in active service and then as a “civilian contractor” while working at TRW Systems while still in the reserves). Considering the span of conflicts, I think “Cold War Veteran” is more succinct.
It’s not that dramatic, man. No offense to your dad, but the Cold War military was a garrison force. At least post 9/11 you would’ve been able to do your job as a soldier, guaranteed. Now, you’ll live the rest of your life wondering if you could’ve ever lived up to it because you puss’d out.
Grandpa just recently got cancer for the 5th time because of that agent orange they exposed him to in Vietnam. Yet they still won't admit it was their fault.
@@wulfkriger3356 yeah because the VA is perfect and has never done anything wrong. also using healthcare and education, something that’s free anyway in other countries, to get people to join the military. lmao
The fact that the man confessed all his experience in a war towards winnie the pooh
Confess-a-bear
I wonder what that feels like talking about your experience in war with winne the pooh
Ji Xin Ping
@@Minutes_Man TELL CONFESS-A-BEAR NOW, N O W
Winnie understands war.
The fact that he is using Anakin Skywalker as his avatar while talking about his experiences as a soldier to VR Pooh Bear makes it feel more complete somehow.
ik like
Indeed
Kh4 leak
Kingdom Hearts 6 leak
Xi jinping
This poor dude seems like he just wanted tell this story for so long but never found the right person to tell this too, until he met vr pooh bear.
Yes
GOES THROUGH A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE THEN GOES TO VR TO TELL IT TO POOH
@Logan Roof ...tf
Honestly though I feel bad for him I feel how he does sometimes like when your out there your just a pawn sure you could say that your fighting for your freedom but are you really cause all your really doing is fighting against your will and against a lot of other people who do the same to them and you your strangers who don't have a reason to kill one another but as we do our government can just sit back and watch as they do so now I know I know it's not fair to say our government just does it for a buzz but considering the stuff they have been caught doing after all this time it's not to far to think that way because of it and people are getting tired of it me included what ever happened to putting your people first
or maybe it was made up
This guy is an unbelievable interview subject. Every documentarian dreams of speaking to someone like this
You're missing something.
“I felt like I owed.....everyone, without owing myself, anything.”
Those words hurt.
Its how I feel every day.
That almost made me cry.
how it is in life everybody feels like that once , but once you realize everybody’s opinion won’t deposit your money in the bank !
Facts bro...
@@geezotics it’s different when you’re in a combat MOS. I was an 11b that showed to my first unit with shattered hips from airborne school that I had hid. Did a ruck March my first day and had a level 3 break in both hips. Spent the next year there in a bottle contemplating suicide because I joined to fight for my brothers and I couldn’t. To me I didn’t give a fuck wether I lived or died. I contemplated suicide everyday because my friends were getting blown up and killed while I sat in the barracks unable to walk. Been out almost a year now and I still have nightmares and bad anxiety over how I feel about my buddies that fell when I was supposed to be protecting them.
Him describing all the guys in his bunk with obvious neurological disorders... Like those are literally the symptoms of lead poisoning. that's so nuts.
Yeah it’s fucked up...
But why they all had it though?
@@kianchampion9581 from breathing in lead dust from the shells being fired. He mentions they did an air quality test
@@goldenpun5592 oh thanks for replying
@Logan Roof I imagine that you haven’t done halve the work he’s done and your shitting on him for doing dangerous work and duty?
This man is extremely lucky that he was emotionally intelligent enough to have processed all this and still be alive on the other side
Maybe lucky, he's definitely strong. We're lucky to be hearing it.
A n i k a n
Woah I’ve never seen a comment that like, showed this in a way. haha I was about to make my own.
I am usually this person telling everyone horror stories. Hearing him talk about all of this just reminds me of what almost everyone who has a combat or mechanical job in the military deals with.
@@b3_w4ter85 if you think that's at all even close to what I said, you should reread what I wrote.
As a kid, I was told that anyone who went into the military had it made. I didn't go in the military, I was disqualified due to reasons. I felt regret. Now, I have passed four decades, and every military person I have known personally has some kind of health or mental issue. Every. Single. One. I don't know why the military breaks their soldiers so hard. We have an excellent military, but after the people get out, we fail them. I wish we could help them better, they deserve good treatment for all that they protect.
Not just the military but veterans. They make it seem like veterans are living it up rich as shit. We're not. VA care is a joke and the steps you have to take just to get any type of care of benefits are too much. The part were he mentioned about the guy having the shakes is true. Since I've been out my hands shake so much people constantly ask " what's with your hand?" Almost mocking me and they dont listen when I try to explain it.
Thats because the military markets themselves towards the poor and middle class, uses them for whatever agenda is necessary no matter how hard it breaks them mentally and physically, and then kicks them to the curb after their contract is over. American prosperity is paid with young mens blood. Thats the truth Americans need to hear and understand. Everyone is enjoying the benefits in America, does that make everyone complicit for turning a blind eye to these sacrifices? Everyone loves being the premiere country, loves having more new technology to buy, and knowing no one can stand up to us because of our indomitable military might. Being number one comes at a cost, a cold, disgusting price that is paid every day, every week, and every year. Yet I dont know how to make sense of it morally.
@@nickcox1408 No one respects when someone is sick or has issues. I don't understand this. I know that as a young person, I never knew what to say to someone. But now that I am older, I listen to people. It took me a little while to grow up and understand that it is okay not to be afraid of someone who has an ailment that can't be fixed. I remember going to school with kids who made fun of others when others were hurt. Those kids grew up, and you can bet as adults they still do that stuff. It's only when it happens to them that they want everyone to listen to their problems. As you can see, I am pretty disappointed in how people treat one another.
@@WailOfDoom Yes, our country's power is run on the blood of young people. There are some things that could change if the government changed practices, such as making guys run that burn pile which spews out chemicals and gives the soldiers cancer. I remember talking to a former military man who said they trained in some swamp land out in the eastern states, but the swamp had been a chemical dumping site for some companies before the laws changed in the 1980's or so. So these kids were running around in chemicals, breaking out in rashes, headaches, throwing up. But no one removed them from training in that site. I don't know why we put our young soldiers in unhealthy situations when we need them to be healthy in case of war? Maybe the top brass figure they are all going to die anyway? But that isn't the way to run a winning scenario.
@@BlackSeranna like dave chappelle said: it's funny until it happens to you
I felt like I owed everyone, without feeling like I owed myself anything.
Heavy words.
@Logan Roof you're small in everyway that matters.
@Logan Roof you’re a weirdo replying to every comment lmfao
@Logan Roof ?????
@Logan Roof You probably failed first grade.
@Logan Roof then why don’t you go out there and do what this guy did. see what he saw
"I felt like I owed everyone without feeling like I owed myself anything."
That one struck home pretty hard...
People don't give themselves enough self love or self worth. I've been there, always putting others before me to a point I would avoid interacting with people because I felt like I was wasting their time and it would be doing them a favour letting them spend time with others.
same here, these stories always get the tears running...
him being able to express that is really powerful. Its a definite sign he made progress in processing all those experiences
Cal DW What changed?
@@thelastflame64 A combination of things, it wasn't a simple "When the fire nation attacked" where I could point to one single event that made me change my outlook.
I tried to downplay the things I used to overthink, most of the time all the worst case scenarios I worried about were very very unlikely to happen and I jist got worked up over nothing.
I learned to accept that as an adult, it is upto me to decide what makes me happy and no one else is responsible for that. I am also not responsible for other people's happiness. Now that does not mean "be a dick and don't care about anyone", you should still always strive to be nice to others as that bit of niceness can really help people in day to day life BUT don't put someone's happiness solely on yourself. That's something they need to figure out for themselves and relying on someone else to be happy or make you "whole" leads to it being draining for both people.
Self worth and self love also helps a lot when it comes to dating and the types of people you let into your life. If you only love or value yourself 10%, and you date someone who gives you 20%, to you that will seem like they love you at least twice as much as you thought possible. So even if that person is toxic, lies, cheats, manipulates or is physically/emotionally abusive In reality, because they "love you" that 20% you will likely try to cling to that (this is why a lot of abuse victims stay with their abuser because they don't value themselves enough to think they deserve better). If you love yourself, respect yourself and value yourself 100% then you won't accept anything less, someone would have to show you love 100% or even more to really be worth you wanting to spend time together and build a life together and if someone was only going to show you that 20% you're not gonna get hung up on dodging that.
Respect to the other guy for letting him tell his story uninterrupted
Madddddd respect. :/
He was AFK.
Bro, respect to the lady that sat with forrest gump and listened to his life story
There were cuts so he probably talked to him but in a good way. Either way at least he listened.
I know what a good friend 🥺
"I killed a tree and then two people under it."
There's something so sad, yet powerful about what he said here. "I killed a tree" is not a phrase many people would opt to use.
I guess it's just goes to show that being put in a situation where you are made to take a life, just makes you more aware of all the forms it takes.
I think it speaks more to the fact that by this point, he was desensitized or at least mentally trying to be desensitized to the violence he's inflicted upon others. By describing as such, makes it seek like he's less culpable of their deaths, in a way where the responsibility of what killed them doesn't lie solely on him.
@@InVinoVeratasi think he was just very humbly bragging about his double collateral kill
The way you worded this hit my soul. “All forms it takes” also what a great detail I missed as well with his wording choice being so interesting
@@TheRealRusDaddy i dont see why anyone would brag about killing people
He wasn't bragging. He was distancing himself. He didn't kill those people. The tree did.
_"I felt like I owed everybody, without feeling like I owed myself anything"_ Man that hits hard :c
Yeh it do
Olly Wood I read that when he said it..
That's the feeling you have when you go to war. The very last thing you ever want to do is let the guy next to you down. Or be the one that can't do the mission that you've trained your entire military career to do. If you can't do the mission then what the fuck are you doing in the military? No one wants to be dead weight in a war zone. I totally get what Struggle was talking about.
Did Winnie the Pooh just jet before that part? lol
And when the world needed him most, he returned
@@flandin_ bet
@@birbmess8148 dosent make any sense but ok
@@flandin_ he hasn’t uploaded for the last 4 months lol
Such an original comment man
@@Sovietube thank you
Him using the Anakin avatar makes me think he’s talking about his experience in the clone wars
😳
It's probably who he feels he relates to
That’s what I was thinking
Not the younglings, Anakin
Especially with the gunship mentions
VR is unironically a surprisingly good medium for storytelling. I liked that at 11:12 he was able to use body language and hand gestures to express the environment, just as you’d do if you were telling a story in real life. Helped paint a more visceral picture in my minds eye for sure.
There’s probably something to be said about the anonymity of the internet making traumatic stuff easier to speak about, paired with how VR can make a story more compelling or gripping by way of making it feel more like an in person experience.
Separation catalyzes authenticity.
@@Maladjestergood psychological analysis
“War is agreeable to those who have never experienced it”
Dulce bellum inexpertis
"One countrys hero is anothers terroist" or something like that
@nashaleatpo no one asked
@nashaleatpo go away
@nashaleatpo What a pathetic excuse of a god someone who can create all but can't stop someone going in his church and shooting his followers a god too weak to control his emotions and when overwhelmed with rage he takes it out on his own creations good ol lucy had it right when he tried overthrowing the stupid bastard
general skywalker and his therapist the chinese president.
Only legends will get this
RANDY
HANDY
Xi Ji Ziamping loves his side job.
Both working for the empire to
All jokes aside, hats off to this channel for letting the vet talk about all of his experiences without interruption or judgement like a true bro. God bless this guy and I hope he finds peace. Another case of the gaming community showing how amazing they are.
POG
@@noaplaza-gibson2500 i saw 2 and I kade it 3
To be fair... I’m met a lot of complete assholes in the gaming community.
@@johnjohnson201 Me too but their are some amazing people nonetheless
@@johnjohnson201 To be fair, typically that asshole might just be a person going through the "lashing out" phase of something. Where you want to fight everyone no matter what. That same person in 1-5 years might be someone totally different. Could be wrong, but just a thought.
I wanna thank Syrmor for taking the time to listen to this story. Not many civilians want to hear about the messy parts of GWoT without throwing in their two cents or judging those of us that did the best we could as human beings in very inhumane circumstances. It's takes a compassionate soul to truly listen and gain some insight on how the war went down and how it affects those of us that were there and carry this weight. Big props for putting forth the time and effort to create and share this with the world. It gives an invaluable, unbiased insight into the struggles each of us in the veteran community have with what we experienced.
To Struggle: Thank you for the courage to share your story brother. Each of us carry scars on our souls from the GWoT and what we experienced. You're definitely not alone in this. Even though I was already done with my time in the service before you went in, my unit had help from your brothers in the JTAC/Gunship community in my trips overseas, they saved our asses on multiple occasions. Don't ever feel like what you did was for nothing or let the bad experiences taint the gratitude we knuckle draggers extend to you. The RoE sucked. ISIS and the Taliban being cowardly enough to use women and children as shields, or even worse sending them to carry out attacks... that especially sucked. So many of our brothers and sisters on the ground and in the air have stories where unfortunately civilians got caught in the crossfire or bad intel or poor comms led to the wrong target or simply having to make a gut call in a shit moment and seeing it go belly up and sideways. I've buried brothers in the years after our time in the war because they couldn't forgive themselves but felt too much shame to reach out. That is the worst pain in the world. Even if you never meant for this to be a tool of encouragement when you chose to share your story that day, that is what this serves as now.
To Struggle and any other veteran that may stumble across this: Keep being honest about your struggles. Keep talking about it. Peace is a precious treasure for us that sometimes we find hardest to keep in our grasp, but if the veteran community sticks together, it's easier to hold onto to. Celebrate the good memories. Celebrate the dumb shit you did with your brothers to waste time. Celebrate the memories of brothers and sisters lost, and keep diligent to do your best and be your best every day living the fullest life you can to honor the sacrifice and memories of those that no longer have the chance. Much love to you and all those in the JTAC and air support community from myself and all the other knuckle draggers of the 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne.
thank you for your service. In time the sacrifices you’ve made will be paid in the most rewarding and meaningful way possible. I hope you have a great night or day where ever you are at. May god take care of you for taking care of the people you care about. So again thank you from me for the people who didn’t have the opportunity to say it :) have a good one brother✌️
i could listen to yalls stories for days on end.
This can be used as a primary resource on a kids research paper about the Afghanistan conflict in like 40 years
God damn right it can. VR is going to change the world. VR and storytelling.
@@claytonfilpo nah
@@jeffbenzos6344 it's good story telling... I dont have vR but it's a good story
Technically it probably shouldn't since the guy is anonymous and therefore it can't be proved that he was ever in the military. I mean I believe him just because his story has the ring of truth, but for research purposes there are better sources.
there is offensive language so idk
I know this guy is speaking from his soul, but I cannot get over how perfect his avatar is for retelling war stories
right lmfao he kinda sounds like Matt Lanter too
it would've been better if it were war crimes lol /j
I REPEAT IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER I REPEAT
“I hate sand.” - Anakin Struggle
At first i thought it was real heavy role play
This guy: we were literally inhaling cancer and killing people
Pooh: 😊
400th like
Oh bother.
i am the difference between 999 and 1k likes
He’s a very good listener.
@@muaddib.atreides reality can be whatever I want
It's so nice that video games can be used just to hang out with people and talk about stuff anonymously. Life is so isolated nowadays with social media and dating apps that it's good to see people get their social needs get at least a little met on game servers.
Why isn't vr therapy a thing. I'd feel way more comfortable opening up about the shit that's happened to me with that sort of disconnect from myself
great point
It’s still pretty new & most people can’t afford it. Someday though, no doubt.
@Logan Roof bro your profile pic
@Logan Roof also why were you mean to markliplier
Million dollar ideas
I loved this, the fact that there’s some anonymity to this. Not everyone likes to sit in front of a camera and talk.
Pls check out my skits
@@Astrixct no
Alright snowflake thanks for explaning
@@captainoblivionthicc1004 angry man
Because he knows he did things illegal and inhumane
I started drinking after coming back from Iraq. It definitely destroyed my life. I felt guilt for surviving and it led to me getting arrested one night. I remember sitting in jail, eating this cold ass sandwich thinking how did I go from being a non-commissioned officer in the Army to being locked up. After my marriage ended I went home to live with my parents in worse condition then when I left for the military. I stopped drinking, remarried and I am in school for electrical engineering.I don’t drink anymore and I cook every night. I attended culinary school and its my outlet. Every time I cook I remember those nasty ass sandwiches.
Thank you for sharing this, every time i hear this stuff it reminds me I’m not alone and I don’t have to walk around like Im in a foreign country.
Awesome job at recovery man.
This is a good story
We’re in this together. Thanks for sharing your story, and thank you for taking the time to listen to mine. We’re not alone. We never will be.
@@Vallnerik thanks brother
@@MausOfTheHouse hopefully not one I will repeat
This video will be a Time Capsule of the days we live in. The future will look back on this as a timeless record of the past, when all these men are dead and gone. This video, a single soldier’s retelling his experience while he’s still relatively young, his body language retained, but uniquely on primitive VR.
The fact that he’s Anakin Skywalker seems fitting
I said the same. Bobba fett wouldve fit too
Ikr
@Logan Roof ?
Not just the men... But the women... And the children!
@Logan Roof ???
if you want to understand what having PTSD is like, Struggle really captures it at 18:26 when he describes trying to process his trauma. After crying for hours, it is natural to feel catharsis, and after a few night's sleep you'd expect to start letting go. PTSD is when that catharsis never comes; that mental pain is now a permanent part of you now, and your only choice is how you're going to deal with it. It's why the condition is known for dehabilitating some of the toughest people on the planet
"If animals were to be inflicted with shellshock, they'd go find that quiet corner to die." - Charles Samuel Myers
I hate that mental issues still have that air of shame associated with them. No one would dare shame a veteran or active service member who had to take some time to recover from a bullet or shrapnel wound. People still try to say that PTSD is some form of weakness. Where I think it really is just as direct a result of what we ask these men and women to do as those bullet and shrapnel wounds.
@@Jcod_ well said, it's very comparable to a physical wound or scar. I hope people will better understand it over time, too
@@Jcod_ everybody loves a soldier till he comes home
@@warriorsofftime2782 I hate that some people have that attitude. They deserve to be taken care of for life from any injury they sustain during their service. My understanding is that it isn't easy to get that and that is insane to me. The cost of a conflict isn't just in the money it takes to buy all the weapons and ammo. It is also the cost of taking care of the people who went to go fight for the rest of their lives.
@@Jcod_ I feel that, im 11B infantry, but there can be only so much others can do, you have to put on work too
Tell that soldier, as a taxpayer, he doesn’t owe me anything. I’m glad he’s home and I hope he gets the help he needs.
@Logan Roof Real edgelord here, folks.
@Logan Roof Could *you* do any better?
You all really got bamboozled by this guy. Ignore him, he's just spamming the comments to get people like you upset. What does he gain from it? I dunno but you gain nothing from feeding into his nonsense.
@Logan Roof ladies and gentlemen, we found one.
A true piece of shit.
@Logan Roof I gonna get you fucking drafted mate.
I had a friend that had the exact same thing happen. Young stoner encouraged to go into the military. He came back completely mentally destroyed. Ended up taking his own life.
I am glad that this guy seems to be coping ok. These stories need to be told ❤
RIP ❤
It is both so fitting and so sad that he’s using the clone wars skin
“Good soldiers follow orders”
@Logan Roof tf wrong with you
"The Nightmare is over ...."
Still gets to me damn
and its Anakin
He didnt know it yet, but when he joined the air force he would have the high ground
My buddy made a joke about killing himself during suicide awareness training, nothing too crazy, we use dark humor to combat the mundane and fucked up things we experience. I knew he needed help but sometimes you just can’t tell how bad, despite spending almost everyday with that person. I was also struggling mentally but got the help I needed, which is almost a collectors item in the military. I begged him to take the path I did, and I’d take him on Monday to talk to somebody and stop his suffering. Last thing he said to me was “alright Monday, we’ll go to doc”. On Sunday, he passed that pain and suffering onto his family and friends. Miss you bro.
Dang bro, that sucks. Sorry for your loss bro.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure you made his rough times a lot easier on him, and even if it didn't stop the suffering, at least he had an amazing friend like you.
Srry for your loss. Even tho idk you, my heart goes out to you and him and his family
You did everything as good as you could. You were a good friend.
He will be looking down on you, proud of who you are. I'm so sorry for your loss, my thoughts go out to you.
the emotional maturity he has, and the self awareness, not all have such a good head on their shoulders
some veterans are superheroes fr
He mentioned that he scored really high on the ASVAB, I can see exactly why.
unlike all the social activists nowadays
Huh!? You hear maturity here?
@@Teabonesteak nice troll
"Pretty sure he has lung cancer and just won't go to the doctor cos he can't afford it" - the American Dream, people
I'm pretty sure that's not the quote
Its close enough to the quote that it makes the same point@savageraccoon787
everytime i hear this statement made this way it reminds me how little people actually understand the rest of the world.
better to be here than 98% of the rest of the entire world bud. it aint perfect but it is THE best place to be.
@@wowitsfrostygames155I don't think that it is the best place to be. But it is one of the better ones in the world, for sure.
@@wowitsfrostygames155 Definitely not the best place to be, but def in the top 20 countries imo, just don't act like America is the best
Anakin: "I worked in a Toys R Us"
Younglings: *profuse sweating*
*chuckcles,i’m in danger
Fucking epic comment!!!!!
Now i know why he was fired
You win best comment ever
😂😂😂😂
Frickin love how they don’t interrupt him. Like man everyone now adays just kinda buts in to fit a question and crap
Yeah was thinking the same thing. It was pleasing at the least no one interupted
What
sometimes I feel like people are justified when asking a question because they could be confused by a topic. I think that's fine as long as it's not excessive.
That's because teachers and parents are telling people that that's the way to show you are paying attention.
It cut at some points. I’m sure they asked questions and helped him talk. It isn’t easy to tell a story like this. It really helps to have someone helping you say what you feel
This dude is actually a lad for being honest and telling his story. He carries the weight of his actions and takes full responsibility and shows genuine remorse. I wish my future son will be half the man he is.
@@bartb6804 If you have daughter you would hope they would be honest, caring and would be willing to talk with you about their problems just like if you have a son. I would think being a 'man' isn't worth all the hype if you think of some of our older influences are stoic and suffered from alcoholism and being closed off. It didn't mean they didn't care but they weren't the type of people to show affection until they were literally on their death beds. I think it's still a common misconception that men have to be stoic and not show feelings to be considered strong.
Remorse for what??
Why remorse?
I hope your kid doesn’t have to carry the weight of fighting in war
@Ameer Wassup bro maybe not look into the wording of something nice? Come on have a think
These are the veterans I respect. Not every veteran is a “hero.” But these types of guys? They gave it all
He literally said he killed civilians
@@utena2 "Shit happens in the heat of passion, Jimbo" - Brandon Herrera.
@@utena2that’s war. There has never been a war that didn’t have civilian casualties.
Fighting to steal oil from under developed countries will never make anyone a hero, makes you traumatized at best psychopathic at worst
I did not realize this was 21 minutes long...his story telling was THAT good
Usually I watch videos like this in 1.25x speed but I got past halfway in the video before I realized it was at normal speed.
I didn’t realize it was that long until you pointed it out. Damn....
@@skyjr13 right? I was entranced with his story...and I’m a Wizard
Cuts definitely help in achieving fluent flow
Or that the editing is pretty good
Soldier: *Talking about his traumatic experiences as a soldier*
Winnie the Pooh: *Smiling gracefully*
Am I going to be that guy?
@@pastetatse4957 you get used to it halfway thru lol
fr tho
PTSD is like a loveless enclosed honey jar that is forgotten on the shelf for years. Sometimes you need to give it some love and let it out and share with the people you love or even strangers, em-hmph-hmph-hmph - Syrmor Winnie The Pooh
Pooh is just happy to be able to listen imo
i was really hoping Winnie the Pooh would be the one telling his war experiences
Same
LOLL ME TOO
yup
Same, but the attentive Winnie just made since lol
Story-wise Anakin Skywalker fits way better as the story unfolds. Better than a temporary laugh from "that sweet bear telling war stories"
PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS. There are probably so many more stories like this and it’s so important to actually hear the horrible things going on in the military
Anakin telling us about his military experience is like him describing his most traumatic experiences in the Clone Wars
Clearly using the Anakin avatar for a reason
HE EVEN SOUNDS LIKE ANAKIN TOO
It took me 10 minutes to realize this wasn't a meme, it's not the clone wars. Just the republic.
When he started talking about how he wanted to level the building to a "dirt parking lot"
I was thinking the same thing 🤣
“The AC-130? From like Modern Warfare 2?”
“YEAH MAN”
this is gold
Bro thats literally how they peddled people into combat arms for a good 15 years, hell they probably still do
@@bigdaddygibbs251 plot twist: the government is secretly making COD games
@@GhostlyWhiteGuyPlay a demo of America's Army. Literally an FPS created and funded by the Department of Defense.
@@GhostlyWhiteGuy eh not so secret
@@GhostlyWhiteGuy Have you seen War games? Imagine COD War games
I love how this sounds like a story that Anakin or a clone trooper would tell. And then there's Pooh just *staring. Invested.*
I wish I had someone who looked at me the way pooh looks at anakin while he speaks😂😂😂 all jokes aside thank you for your service
10/10
kingdom hearts type beat
@@Muteki_REN Disney could seriously hide this in Kingdom Hearts 4 if they wanted to, Star Wars is inevitable now that disney owns it.
Kinda ironic thts he’s anakin lol
I was robbed in a home invasion about three years ago around this time. On top of being robbed I was going through this horrible relationship. The depression I felt afterwards was so visceral. Nothing made me feel better for a while. This video helped me for some reason start to feel better. It was like therapy to me. Thank you and the guy you interviewed from this video. Helped me get my emotions back on track.
The general Anakin skin from the clone wars literally makes this a bajillion fucking times more captivating.
somehow i could see the emotion the guy had on the avatars face
It’s actually perfect because his story kind of lines up with Anakin’s in a way. Not that he turned to the dark side or anything but that he had to make some really tough calls in a war that changed him slowly without him realizing until much later.
@Booger Balls anakin Skywalker is the name of the character skin hes using
Its honestly suiting for this man
@Booger Balls Theres no way someone commenting on YT doesn't know who Anakin Skywalker is.
There's something morbidly comedic about the soldier's model being Anakin.
I think its fitting, cause he's a war veteran, fighting in Afghanistan where sand is present lol.
@@knox7945 And on a gunship.
I didn't really find it funny more awkward and unnecessary
@@neonblack211 but it fits because the character, specifically that rendition of the character, can identify totally with the struggle and hardship and pain.
And the whole accidentally firing on women and children thing..
“I mean it never worked for em, but they tried” that’s a fucking soldier right there
On both sides right ?
@@giovannigonzalez6984 my best friend still loses sleep over watching elementary age children walk into crowds of civilians and blow themselves up. I'm fortunate enough to have never deployed during my service. But you need to think before you say dumb shit bruh
@@calemccartney7415 the same respect you give your military, the other side gives theirs. Its not like the US military is exactly the embodiment of all that is good and holy in the world.
Yes
@@calemccartney7415 And you're assuming that humans on the other side just don't feel? Politics aside, brains are brains, trauma and PSTD don't care what your politics are or where you live.
This video hits deeply in the soul. The utter, horrible reality of war. Nobody should have to endure war. It's so awful, but our leaders will never stop sending kids out to face death and trauma. It hurts knowing that so many soldiers will never, ever be okay again.
you phrased it like people are being conscripted. in America, world's biggest war mafia, mandatory millitary service hasn't been a thing in, what, 60 years, since the Vietnam War? Americans are joining the army willingly and they do not deserve sympathy for it. they are murderers. join the army and after your tour is over go to the country where you used to murder people and tell them you did it to go to college. I'm sure they'll forgive you.
If it wasn't volunteer it would be mandatory. The economic cost of conscription is greater than a volunteer military. Most people in the military don't want to think about the fact that they are killing people. ALso you really think the Taliban isn't a volunteer force? it's volunteer force vs volunteer force....@@doktorhabilitowanystanczyk
Imagine this. you are a veteran soldier telling your worst day as a soldier in a game where one is dressed like Winnie the pooh and you're dressed like Anakin Skywalker from the clone wars series
I don't know how the fuck I ended up in this video nor wtf is this channel about, but I guess Winnie the Pooh and Anakin characters lighten up the mood a bit, you know. Maybe we are seeing a therapeutic use of VR here?
Honestly it could be possible that it is easier to talk about this sort of thing in this medium. Not being face to face but still being able to gesture and talk like a human being could be therapeutic. I wouldn't know though I am fortunate enough to have never experienced anything close to what this guy did.
😂😂😂😂
It’s actually oddly appropriate coming from Anakin though.
@@silvussol8966 he killed not only the men, but the women and the children too. Because they’re like animals you know.
Ah yes, the military, “you get to go to college for free, and in exchange you give us -your mental health- everything”
And physical health. I’m all sorts of fucked up. Shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain. Yep.
Hi Dawa
Edit: Also My dad said make the military your last option due to the fact how messed up it is-
i don’t think it’s just mental health, you put everything on the line
“And your literal life as well as your morals”
Not true. Depends on what branch and what job you choose or get.
"Stocker... n-not stalker but like stocker."
Every grocery/retail store stocker felt that
😔
Fr
Every grocery/retail store stalker felt that
Fixed it
Replenish. Would be the word to place on your resumè lmao
@@oscarnavarro2313 dang, you right
18:45 “Ignorance is bliss” PTSD is real. There is no going back once you open the bottle, the only way backwards is forwards. Sincerely, 12-yr active duty soldier, Army Skills Identifier, Suicide Intervention NCO.
What makes this so good is that you're not just listening to the man speak his story, but the whole video is also well edited with subtitles
Recommended to you too huh?
I remember seeing something like this on instagram YEARS ago
So we just happen to always watch the same things huh ma guy? I'll continue chasing you
Even in a freaking soldier story you're still here!?
YOU
Guess we just enjoy the same kind of content eh
Why was this story much more satisfying with the vr replicating his hand movements??
Body language
@@丛雨线 lol guess again
And the eye movements are on point
thought of this too, somehow more engaging than real life.
You are a nerd
My cousin was in the military, he got some pretty bad PTSD and when he got out he could not adjust. Well he turned to drugs and we are still not sure if he overdosed or committed suicide. I miss you Chris your dad ain't the same since you left
We thank him for his service I’m so sorry that happened. It’s a terrible thing
I'm so sorry to hear this. Bless his soul for his dedication to service. 🙏
May that mans should Rest in Peace ❤
You know. The only real reason why I don't want to join the army, is because if something happened my parents and my dad especially would probably not take it...
Your comments made me see a world where it happened, I don't want to join willing to protect and serve and end up hurting beyond belief the ones I love
I've been showing his sister the nice replies you guys gave. She thanks you
I hope this man, wherever he is right now, is at peace.
Bro, i was in Helmand in October 2011 as a Canadian FOO/FAC.
You probably saved my ass.
Stay safe friend, you are not alone.
Hope you are well sir
how you doing?
I’m enlisting into Infantry as a Canadian and I can’t wait. I have friends who are in the Air Force and Navy!
@Stephen Ramirez What’s that supposed to mean?
@Stephen Ramirez I understand my uncle served. And toured in Iraq back in late 2000s and I just wanna do that and join and do what’s right:)
Imagine randomly walking in on something like that, some guy just relaying his trauma in combat to Pooh Bear, who calmly listens with a smile.
Edit : holy shit.
@Logan Roof troll moment
@Logan Roof Watch out boys we got a badass over here.
@Logan Roof Mr badass😲😐
@Logan Roof isnt your profile picture an actual baby? he didnt blame anyone not even the people shooting at him he just explained the story and his thought processes
you see waaaaaay weirder chit in vrchat
This is really needed. PTSD is hard to deal with and therapy is expensive.
But pop on a vr headset and talk to Pooh. Really wholesome
@Logan Roof oh i get it. Just say you're racist and a loser 😂
@@vplgery I wanna know what he said lol
@@shinsouhitoshi9030 darn I forgot exactly . Something about the military veterans should go to hell or something like that. But he did have the nazi symbol on his profile pic.
@@vplgery damn, that sucks, thanks tho
@@vplgery Some dude deleted his comment?
Just started considering military, this set me straight.
Do NOT join the military, my friend. Unless you want to shoot people.
There’s no war going on, so you’d probably be fine
Im still heavily considering it. Feels like theres nothing else for me in life
@@kyledodson2992 There's still rockets and shit hitting all our FOBs over there. The threat may not be as clear and present as before, but it definitely still exists.
@@Enlightened_SpursFanGo for it
“When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you... Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion, and you know it can happen to you.” -Ernest Hemingway
Rip Jackie Welles
I also played cyberpunk
i
This was deep bro and beautiful, your mind is much appreciated.
what the fuck i watched this and went to sleep and apparently commented here
"SCORE! They shot at us!"
Jesus, man...
Ikr?
they rarely landed on the FOB anyways. so usually nothing to worry about.
@History Aesthetics yea. Unless you roll snake eyes or a nat 1, you dont need to worry unless they are launching dozens. Which is why many MRL battalions launch 50+ through 100+ for effect and suppression.
Yea, I had to pause and process... Hella cray
@@thefunnycolors Natural ones will haunt me in the military too huh
That part when he feels wrath for the first time and realizes anger has a big brother. I felt that. Wrath is a special and rare emotion
word
Wrath is when you’re helplessly watching someone you love get hacked apart.
I’m autistic as fuck. I only feel wrath. I don’t get this anger that people be talking of.
I feel like every emotion has a big brother. Like true terror is a whole other ballpark than being scared. Or how grief can literally bring you to your knees. I remember seeing my sister with self-inflicted scars on her leg and blood and I'm usually a pretty stoic person when it comes to things like that, but the sadness I felt seeing her like that literally made my body drop, my mom had to catch me. I have NEVER felt that in my life, even though this happened two years ago I still haven't felt that. Even a friend of mine who had a similar experience expressed that the same thing happened to her. It's crazy how strong humans can feel emotion.
@@jeanaadams952 we are emotional animals. Rationality is a veneer. Hope your sister's better.
My dad was an airforce chaplain at candahar and he’s told us about the rocket attacks- seems crazy. While I can’t completely understand the things you went through My heart is with you and I really appreciate your service and sacrifice.
Anakin: *Reflects on the horrific soul crushing reality of war.*
Pooh: :)
"That's it Anakin, remember what Disney has done"
Honestly, that boy needed someone to really TALK to. He never really had that. That's how Palpatine got his hooks in. Built trust and molded him. Pooh would be good for him.
Pooh himself has killed thousands of men...
@@Bloodlyshiva Is Pooh also owned by Disney?
Is this an inner-company rant, or is he just telling China all of USAF's secrets?
As a -fellow- genocidal maniac, Pooh understands Anakin's thought process.
Strangely appropriate that he's using the Clone Wars Anakin model
Yup appropriate
I initially thought it was made up in Anakin's perspective
I didn’t want to point this fact out:(
When he was talking about the woman and children I couldn't help but laugh. VR Anakin saying it's not women and children its terrorists
This, unironically, needs to be mandatory viewing for basic
@Logan Roof ?
@@comradekarlvonschnitzelste8218 Just report him, he's spamming every comment.
@Logan Roof I'm sorry, what?
@Logan Roof imagine being worthless
What for to scare everyone in basic? You’re suppose to build up their confidence not destroy it
Him talking about that ambush and getting frustrated over the slow and tedious steps to get authorization instead of just taking immediate action is SO Anakin getting pissed off with the Jedi Council and their careful rules/politics.
Let’s be real if Vader had a sit down and heart to heart with someone like pooh, the empire would’ve been gone much earlier
The empire would improve and the rebel scum would be destroyed*
💀😂
this is b4 anakin turned evil
@@gdust6579 that’s not the point be quiet thanks
@@okentrepreneur3777 anakin tried havin heart 2 heart about losing his mom and afraid of losing padme. the jedis told him to not be attached. they tried to make him less emotional. maybe if he talked to pooh instead of jedis he wouldnt have gone to the dark side.....
The part where he didn’t feel anything after killing was most likely “disassociation”. That’s how lots of people including me are wired to deal with traumatic things. It’s a built in fail safe in the brain to make sure we don’t go completely insane
@Logan Roof Did you mean to post this as a comment? I don’t see how it’s replying to anyone here...
@Logan Roof get out of here, this has no room for politics.
@Logan Roof imagine being that guy commenting the same comment on every comment you see and no one caring and youre just coming across a salty loser. Imagine that....here's a mirror, might help you imagine.
Same here :/
@Logan Roof that's a rather random and odd comment.
This guy's Anakin avatar is literally perfect for these stories
I mean captain Rex would have also been great
in every syrmor video the avatar always matches the guest. every single time.
Notice how he was talking about being on respirators for the whole job? Fits well into anakin and darth vader’s story
I first thought he was talking about a clone trooper gunship
@@dokucity Well, its the people telling the story that decide the avatar that fits them best. Its no coincidence.
I come back to this video every 3 months or so to listen to Struggle's story. It's such a tragedy, but the fact that he keeps pushing to this day is a testament to what a fucking inspiration he is.
I come back to this video every so often as well. This is the first story I watched on this channel and its just so well told.
Anakin: “I felt like I was dying”
Winnie the Pooh: “🙂”
Hey it’s Xi Jinping bro
@@zenpai5998 Easy mistake to make.
@@thebatman4279 not really, both are emotionless dogs who eat all the bunny. Why are you stalking me however.
@@zenpai5998 Winnie don't eat no bunnies though.
Stalking you? 🤔
@@thebatman4279 I think he mistakes honey for bunny
Mad respect for this man for sharing his story and being so open and vulnerable. Thank you for your service to the American people
Facts, they give it all for some long term benefits but they give up sooo much in the process I do not envy them. But I respect it.
His service was to corporations and the war machine, and that's not on him, that's on the politicians and lobbyists who inflicted it on him.
@@Circuitssmith yes many people aren't given much of a choice given our job economy. In a short term it seems like a GREAT deal but your hit with tons of repercussions over time. But stability is worth it for many people. Which is the real evil of our government
@@jamesswayne2162
The system is cruel, unjust, and most importantly unnecessary. We have the resources, the technology, the understanding to allow for everyone to live comfortably without that comfort running on death and misery. What we have now only exists because it's enormously profitable for a very small percentage of the population.
@@Circuitssmith very wisely said my friend
The fact that his VR character is clone wars Anakin really does add an additional layer to him talking about his wartime trauma
He probably relates to Anakin
was just watching the short preview when your scrolling and got hooked. hope this guy is doing better now and glad you sat there and listened to him openly. i’m sure he really needed to tell those stories without someone judging, budging in and asking questions.
100% of the people I've talked to who have worked at Toys R Us have joined the Air Force... Coincidence? I'm too old to believe in coincidences.
WARNING I am the unprettiest human YTer worldwide, but somehow I have TWO HOT UA-camR girlfriends. Thanks for being a future subscryber, dear charles
Toys R Us is a gateway to many careers that some would consider to be unnatural...
I worked at Toys R Us once charlie so there goes your theory.
Wtf really?
Toys'R'Us seems like a crappy employer. I know them for their union busting, for one thing.
To be blunt, this is exactly what he needs. Talking about it is literally the best thing you can do with feelings/emotions like this. Talk till your sick of talking about it, then talk some more. Talk to people that were there, talk to people that serve, talk to your friends and family. Its not going to feel like it at the time and maybe not for a while after (maybe never) but the more you talk about something like this the more your can process it. The hardest parts that initiation opening up and its always gonna be really bad at first but the more you open up the more you allow for your brain to work thru it and/or heal.
This is exactly what people do with these mental stresses. They try to "be strong" or "not let their friends and family down by being weak" but that only makes it worse. (an its not just a guy thing but its something you see more of in guys) An that mental block that everyone does is never gonna go away. Its this weird self imposed "thing" everyone does. (just to different degrees)
The problem is they learn from the army. They armed forces have no regard for mental health at all. They went you to do the job, and preferably die in the job so you don't end up a wrecked mess afterwards
DeBrief is (almost the word)
with respect,
Men are not women,
(and even with females)
Vocal Repetition (externalising to physical world)
of
Internalised Ruminations,
(so easily/the potential)
The Plasticised Neuro incindery that can blow Soul.
We, as a World,
Must again learn how hear & be there for Men.
again,
with respect,
Maybe Communicate, and Do "life stuffs"
Till Heart comes home, not till bored?
maybe a better 'limit" could be found, ad well a "how to" to do.
not soz for writing in tl;dr mode,
o.p. hypes me viglently ;)
@@sed8me69 literally nothing you said makes sense. It's like you used a random word generator to speak.
Truth
@@sed8me69 Holy shit. This is like if an alien was using google translate to communicate with humans. I've never seen anyone use english the way you use it. BUT I will try my best to decipher it.
My interpretation is that you believe that vocalizing "internal ruminations" (to borrow your terminology) is efficacious for improving the well being of (mostly) men and their brain's 'neural plasticity'. It also sounds like you are saying more personal attention is important as well, like being attentive to their problems and being present in their lives. But that's about all I can understand.
I was in the military myself. Honestly VR chat helps a lot of us who suffer from PSTD. It is honestly like going to confession for Catholics. Only way I can explain it.
Guess talking to cartoon characters helps get the weight off
@@crimsondynamo615 free theraphy
@@crimsondynamo615nothing like hatsuni miku talking about her time in the us special forces in korea and nam and all the while cracking jokes and using area appropriate racial slurs against the commies while going on about the countless war crimes she committed and got away with
Sad that it cant just be a family member or freind in real life as you can see from the one ass hole response people judge way to easily with no real understanding and rather than try they just double down on being holier than thou ive made myself that person to talk to for all the vets i know family and freinds . I dont judge hinestpy i let it all go when the convo is done but i truly try to understand in the moment to show some degree of empathy and i find that goes a long ways i will also keep up with em drinking so that helps lol... point being more people should be like vr pooh bear and just listen
@@TheRealRusDaddywow thanks for your deep understanding for what it is that soldiers deal with. You ever sign up for a credit card when you are young and don't really know what you're doing. The military is not very different. I signed up because I was poor and needed a way out of shitty circumstances. What you don't know is that your soul and mental health take the place of financial burden. Then you get out and no one in your family can even comprehend everything you have been through, then you find a place online for vets to talk and then the comment section gets filled up with shit heads who don't know anything about serving something other than themselves
Man Symor thank you for this. I hope Charlie is doing okay. I’m glad to hear stories like this…it’s heart wrenching all around.
“I felt like I owed everyone and owed nothing to myself”
That hit me like a truck...
Hit me harder than my dad
@@lachlanwilson6946 hit me harder than my step drunk uncle
@@lachlanwilson6946 hit me harder than the air surrounding me
@Logan Roof you’re just everywhere, aren’t you? Do you have anything better to do with your time?
that thinking messed me up in my teen years
One of the most notable things is how well of a storyteller this gentleman is. He's quite good at it.
Honestly he sounds like a natural speaker and I'm hooked.
@@k3nfr0st39 I think that's what makes it special. Lots of people can't be natural when they are on the spot.
It sounds really good because the pauses in his speech are edited out.
@@ButterBallTheOpossum I'm a professional editor. I know what's happening behind the scenes in this. I still think he's good at storytelling.
Serious conversations in VR must be really therapeutic. You're technically there but nobody can see your face, just your avatar, so you don't feel like you need to hold back as much.
I talk more freely in xbox parties then I do in actual therapy.
@@Olivia-dg4fb because people will listen and doctor won't
@@disknee3384 no, because people gets shy and doesnt lay it all down face to face. Dude by saying doctor doesnt listen is a disrespect to them by itself.
NGL I have had some incredibly deep conversations on vr chat. It is pretty amazing. Just being on the internet with an avatar you like representing your personality instead of normal IRL you with all your trust issue shields up can do some incredible things to help lower those walls. When you run into likeminded people or just really cool people in general you vibe with it becomes really really easy to just talk about those things on your mind you may otherwise not ever tell a soul. It is really quite a magical virtual world they have created with VR chat and the community that comes out of the way they made this game is quite incredible.
Can confirm, was on C-130’s; 5 years after getting out I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer (Leukemia). Docs said I had days to weeks to live.
Many months in the hospital, dozens and dozens of blood and platelet transfusions often 3 times a day for weeks at a time. Multiple rounds of the heaviest doses of chemotherapy they were permitted to give (concoctions that had age limitations), relentless total body irradiation treatments at the highest doses possible, and eventually a bone marrow transplant to permanently and completely eradicate my own DNA. Getting fed through an IV for 4-5 weeks because nothing would stay down. Couldn’t walk, couldn’t use the bathroom, praying to God to give me the chance to raise my Daughters and be there for my Wife..
I’ve been on Chemo for over 2 years now. Never expected my 30’s to look like this. We think we’re invincible when we’re young, and I am more fortunate than friends who have already passed, but my Wife and kids have been through hell. Consider your path wisely my friends. While our country has truly been a better place than most, service members are consumable, that’s the reality. And the threat of a swift death is not the only one you should prepare for.
Brother, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope you beat this and get to live out your life in the peace that you paid for.
I appreciate you brother. Started working part time today, after getting the go ahead from my Doc. One step at a time. Wishing you and yours well during Thanksgiving my friend. Enjoy the time together.
I pray that you get through this, friend. I wish you a long, fulfilling life beside your family!
Bro I hope you get through this man how is everything going now god bless you
@@cedricwhite2676 Thanks, Cedric. Hoping at some point to be able to stop taking chemotherapy, but every day is a gift and only God knows the plan. Cherish the time together with loved ones. Prayers and blessings to you and yours, my friend. All praise goes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Was stationed in Germany from 2015-2018 and met one of my closest friends there. We both came from Chicago, both spoke Spanish and seeing how lonely things were, we became like brothers. Well, his ticket came up to deploy and after several months of chatting over social media/skype, he stopped responding. He was 19 years old. He was my best friend and he came home in a casket. I'll never forget hearing his mother cry. I dream about it all the time too. My last few years on base and even today (after separating) have been some of the darkest moments of my life.
💚
Goddamn DJ. Sorry to hear that, man. I truly hope you can manage to hold up well in light of the slice of hell you were served.
It will get better sir. Thank you for your service and best wishes from the U.P
You must've been Army son. I know the feeling. Navy, was attached with some army lads. Lost two of em. Three weeks later, Extortion 17 went down with two more friends plus 25+ other blokes. Sometimes it helps to embrace the tears just so you can get it out the way. And other times it's not a crime to keep yourself busy just so you can keep your mind of the pain
Man... this is... I am sorry..
10 million people took the time to listen to this guy, this guy’s story is now a part of 10 million peoples lives…
10 million. He continues to impact more
I wonder how he’s doing
🤦🏾♂️
@@tuillerime too I really hope he managed to get some therapy or at least learned to properly live with what he’d been through
a view is counted with 20 seconds of watch time, not 20 minutes
I love how his avatar is general skywalker
I love how your pfp is Ahsoka. She's my favorite.
May the force be with you.
This is, the way.
Master*
@@TimboSlice083 He was never granted the role of Master, cmon man.
@@TimboSlice083 Take a seat
I hear about ptsd, but I feel like this guy explained ptsd in a way I can understand. Trapped in your own memory. That’s insanity. And it’s hell to keep telling yourself over and over to just not think about it.
What people fail to realize is that it lingers as well, doesn’t have to come full blown sometimes some noises, colors, etc are off and you’re mind starts working faster than logic. I hear my family whispering and giggling and my mind instantly by default thinks someone has died bc the noises sound like people crying as well. I work in a hospital and have heard every scream and cry imaginable some stick but man does it suck
@Logan Roof being willing to fight and die for people that hate you is kind of honorable.
@@TheScopeGlint this same troll is in multiple comment threads and posting nasty comments and then deleting them or maybe his whole account just got banned or something. What did he say in this thread
@@roycevancleve2437 I think any loss really can do this if it’s taken hard enough by the person. Especially if it makes them feel guilty.
@@cadencantrell9634 he basically said soldiers don’t deserve respect for doing nothing honorable.
"I felt like I owed everyone, without feeling like I owed myself anything."
Damn bruh. Much love.
"I felt like I owed everyone and that I didn't owe myself anything". Dude. That hit me HARD.
I'm not crying. You're crying.
The VR characters really bring the story to life in a digestible way oddly enough despite the seriousness of what is being talked about. I could see how VR therapy or even groups of people talking about their problems together in VR could be very beneficial for mental health. Very engaging conversation without the anxiety of talking face to face to someone about the darkest places of your mind.
My CO told us "fuck the rules of engagement, you get yourself out alive and let me worry about the politics afterwards". That's almost an exact quote.
edit: I made this comment over 3 years ago, but people are still replying and after skimming the comments I think I need to add context, because my situation wasn't the norm
I was in the NAVY, on a VBSS team, basically we boarded anything we found floating in the Indian Ocean, this was over a decade ago when the piracy stuff was at its peak. Our rules of engagement were to not shoot unless shot at first, no matter what they were doing. There were no civilians out on the water, I heard there was human trafficking but I never encountered it, I think it was mainly further east. Our CO told us to basically ignore the rules of engagement. If they have guns and are acting nervous, they're most likely pirates. Don't go casually killing everyone you board, but don't give them the chance to shoot first if you smell bullshit. Out in the middle of the ocean, there wouldn't be any news crews or drones filming anything, and it was sop to sink anything that didn't pass inspection after we left. Him telling us to just make sure we get out alive and ignore the rules of engagement didn't mean anywhere near the same thing it meant for the groundpounders in the sandbox. There were times where we didn't even board, just to be safe. If you look through binos and see a dingy with a bunch of somalians with aks, there's no need to talk to them, the 5 inch could handle it.
Pretty based tbh
He sounds like he actually cares about his soldiers, respectable.
My CO was unofficially relieved by the BCO for not doing that
Too bad you were dying for someone else's interests.
@Aaron White Rules of engagement exist to minimize civilian casualties. You know, the people who didn't sign up for all that shit.
Man, that 21 minutes just flew by. This guy's storytelling is incredible. What a life he lived
21?! God damn I thought it was like 7 minutes
Glad my Cold War veteran father talked me out of signing up after 9/11. Time seems to have proven him right. “They’ll play on your patriotism, chew you and your friends up, then spit on you.”
I had a deep sympathy for this man. I heard my father cry out in his nightmares, or when he drank, about his buddies.
Your father is a great man for doing that. I know far too many people who will always talk their kids into joining the military, despite knowing the reality of it.
I've never heard of a "Cold War Veteran" before, due to the nature of a Cold War and all.
Was he in a specific hot theater?
@@MDMDMDMDMDMDMDMDMD My father volunteered for the draft in 1958. Originally, he was assigned to 3rd Army, 82nd Airborne, but then changed to Army Admin and then Army Intelligence/DIA/CIA joint Ops. Anyone in the know will understand when I say that after he went through basic and second eight, he trained at Fort Slocum, New York.
He served in the US Army in several theaters including the Caribbean, Central America, but mostly Southeast Asia (in active service and then as a “civilian contractor” while working at TRW Systems while still in the reserves).
Considering the span of conflicts, I think “Cold War Veteran” is more succinct.
Whatever can be said about Iraq and Afghanistan the fact is many American lives were saved by not fighting mujahideen in malls, concerts and schools
It’s not that dramatic, man. No offense to your dad, but the Cold War military was a garrison force. At least post 9/11 you would’ve been able to do your job as a soldier, guaranteed. Now, you’ll live the rest of your life wondering if you could’ve ever lived up to it because you puss’d out.
I happen to see this in the algorithm every 5-6 months or so. Watch it every single time.
Solider: gets PTSD and other sickness’s
USA Military: damn we kinda not care
Lifetime healthcare is sooo uncaring
@@wulfkriger3356 there’s no reason to be an asshole
Grandpa just recently got cancer for the 5th time because of that agent orange they exposed him to in Vietnam. Yet they still won't admit it was their fault.
@@rc59191 Sorry to hear that. I wish that wasn’t so common
@@wulfkriger3356 yeah because the VA is perfect and has never done anything wrong. also using healthcare and education, something that’s free anyway in other countries, to get people to join the military. lmao