Instead of being drafted he chose to join on his own terms. Right after graduating high school Tim left for basic training for the Marines in August of 1967. This year was a busy year for him because he married his high school sweetheart who became pregnant with their first son, little Tim. “Semper Fidelis, is Latin phrase that means “always faithful” or “always loyal” (Wikipedia). Tim lives by these words and repeats them to fellow Marines whenever he sees them in public. He served two tours in Vietnam. The first one lasted for twenty-four months and the second one for ten months. Tim was living his dream of being a Marine, while his wife was at home bewildered and scared, left to care for an infant. Everyone who loves this country is an American Hero. Fighting in a war to keep our country free and safe from all harm is why young men and women join the military. I asked Tim what is his favorite saying is to express his view of an American Hero, he replied, “freedom has a taste that the protected will never know” (Tim). He left for Vietnam in …show more content…
He battled with alcoholism. Using the effects of whiskey to drown out the wicked pain becoming numb, just like his father and generations before him did after they combatted in battle. His wife gave him the option to quit drinking or sign the divorce papers, she had, had enough. He quit drinking because the thought of losing his family and the one he loved was unbearable. This clarity into sobriety strummed up many panic attacks for him which he still encounters today. Through the right medication and psychiatric treatments, he is working through his experiences to become more of the man he was before the war. I asked him, “Why are you not the same man?” He replied, “You can go to war and return a hero, but you will never come back the same person, because of what you have seen and done.” This to me means that when unspeakable things happen to someone, it is enough to alter and damage the mind and soul of that person. His best and most effective medicine is the cuddles that he gets from his one-year old granddaughter, Jayde. She brings so much light and life to his heart and mends his and Grandma’s soul from the excruciating horror of war. There is no cure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, twenty-two service men and women take their lives every day. Tim has found the strength to not only live, but enjoy life to the fullest. I asked him, “What are your