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Unread 03/13/2017, 11:29 AM   #37
Salty150
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 1,345
Quote:
Originally Posted by victor_c3 View Post
I can't say that reefing has saved my life, but it adds a tremendous amount of enjoyment to mine.

Before I stopped working, I earned a degree in chemistry and worked for the government for a few years as a chemist. The technical aspects and research aspects of reefing are very interesting to me. I've read numerous books and countless science joiurnal articles and pouring myself over details such as optimal flow rates for sponges in benthic habitats and trying to recreate that in a portion of my reef system is pure joy to me.

I too was an Infantryman, but I was mechanized and served in Iraq in 2004. In hindite, I'm soooo relieved that I wasn't Light Infantry. True, our vehicles made for great targets, but they could take a pounding. A section of tanks was assigned to my platoon and, in their infinite wisdom, haji would fire everything he had at a tank and ignore the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The tank could take RPG hits all day while the Bradley couldn't. Fortunately, haji never figured that out.

I got back from Iraq in 2005 and got out of the army in 2007. My PTSD issues didn't really start to appear until 2008, but they didn't get out of hand until 2014. In the last two years I went down hard and fast. I've had numerous suicide attempts, spent about 1/3 of that time locked up in psych hospitals, lost two great jobs, and now I'm 100% P&T for PTSD.

Reefing to me is about having something go right in my life. Looking back at things since Iraq it's hard for me to find examples if things I'm good at or do right. I was in a leadership position (I actually was an Infantry Platoon Leader) and I take everything my platoon did or didn't do to heart. I was in charge when we were out in sector and if someone was hurt, it was fault. If a kid got killed, it was because I didn't control my troops well enough (Soldiers are good at killing things - even when not ordered to) or if someone got hurt it was because I dindn't make the right decision. I lost 5 guys under my command and it absolutely tears me apart more than 12 years later. I can't keep a job, I've foreclosed on a house, and simple things like making my kids lunch in the morning and getting them ready for school overwhelms me.

As a guy who has a history of messing stuff up, getting something right - even as small as not killing a coral - gives me something to hang on to in life.
Thank you, for a lot of things, and for sharing your story.

I, and everyone else here I am sure, am glad that you found reefing!


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