Surprisingly and not so surprisingly, my brother was honorably discharged from boot camp and the Navy yesterday. They have him diagnosed as depressed and he’s too much of a liability because he has a heart condition (that is still not clear or understood completely). So he’s coming home. It’s an event that is filled with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I’m so grateful that he’s not being sent to Afghanistan or Iraq. On the other hand, he really could have gained skills in the Navy.
More than that, it’s hard to see someone you love fall down so many times. He didn’t even last a full week of boot camp which means he got the “tear down” portion of the training without the benefit of the “building up” portion that comes at the end. It makes me sick to think of how he’s feeling right now. How do you help someone who falls down so often and seems to have a hard time learning from his mistakes? Not only does it make him feel stuck, it makes all of those who love him feel helpless.
