Experiences that really, deeply changed you

Seeing the movie Twister in the theaters. Been a srorm chaser/enthusiast ever since.

1. Being a father
2. The highest highs and lowest lows of life long commitment
3. Allowing myself to be positive, always
4. Believing in something more than myself
5. Everything about life after 40
6. Understanding and accepting I cannot know everything, but continuing to try

Holy smokes I've led an easy life

1. growing up doing something somewhat based on appearance taught me to never let someone see that they can have an effect on what you think about yourself.
2. being told my baby would have no brain (he does have a brain btw) at my first ultrasound was pretty life altering. Meant that I'd never again judge anyone for decisions made during pregnancy and those that say they would never do anything like terminate a pregnancy I now say wait until you are in the position where you are being given that option. Being told this information by your family doctor of 33 years I think changed his life a bit too.
3. Spending countless hours at the cancer centre with my dad for his treatments has given me a new appreciation for how lucky I am and how tough people can be. Having a bad day go and sit with someone getting a chemo treatment, between the kindness of the nurses and the hope that the patients have it can't not alter your own perspective on life.

I was on the convoy back from Hohenfels with about a platoon-sized
element of A Btry. I don't recall most of those there except CPL
Stevens. Just past Nurnburg we came upon an over-turned 5-ton along
the side of the autobahn. As we approached I got on the radio
"Stop-Stop-Stop! They're americans!"

When I stopped my HMMWV on the shoulder I sprinted back to the scene.
German Paramedics were around the truck, as was a crowd of on-lookers.
Thankfully I had picked up a good deal of the German language from
My then-girlfriend. I was able to make conversation and coordination with the
responders and medics. I shared with the others there were two known
occupants inside, then moved in front of the truck, noticing a gap
just below the hood, between the truck and the ground. I remember
low-crawling under the truck to look for the occupants. I was greeted
by a SGT on his back, forehead skin peeled back some. He was
incoherent but conscious. I grabbed him by the shoulder and told him

"Were Americans. We're here. It'll be okay." I could smell fuel and
feel fluid everywhere. Occasionally we'd see sparks.

Luckily, we had a wrecker with us, so we were able to hook to the
undercarriage of the truck and lift it about 2 feet. We couldn't go
much higher because the wrecker was a 5-ton, too - in fact, we had
by-standers perched up on the front bumper of the wrecker to try and
provide a modicum of counter weight. I was called out from under the
truck while they attempted a lift. As the truck got a little more
clearance i went back under and was able to position myself under the
SGT and sort of wiggle him out to the waiting paramedics. I pulled him atop me,
and sorta scooted him (think rescue swimmer) out from under the truck
At one point the front of the wrecker started raising up off the ground! Dozens of
bystanders and other Soldiers rushed to climb on it, in an attempt to
act as a counter-weight.

As the man I helped bring out was being put into the ambulance I
looked down at my right hand to see it painted with blood and what
seemed like pieces of flesh. CPL Stephens, and this is why I remember
him being there, walked with me to the medic and helped me wash it
off. The driver of the vehicle, however, was still there. He was
trapped by the weight of the under-seat batteries.

There are 4 batteries in a 5-ton, if I recall. I'd guess each weighs 50lbs. The
driver was screaming and moaning for most of the event. Myself and a
German paramedic grabbed the seat and pulled up in an attempt to allow
room to remove the driver. As they got the driver out, and turned him
face up we saw his Army-issue "Birth Control" classes had shattered.

The glass, unfortunately, filled his eyes, sort of like a snow-cone.

The first man was airlifted to a hospital - a helicopter landed right
there on the freeway. I walked to the bird along side his stretcher -
MASH style. When we got there, he looked up at me and a single tear
rolled down his cheek. I put my hand on his shoulder and said
"Sergeant...you'll be fine." He flew away. The driver of the 5-ton was
driven away.

Moving back along we ensured there had been nobody had been in the
back of the truck - we found the dispatch and some personal gear which
we secured. One thing we noticed - the Truck did not have a proper
'dispatch' - wasn't properly authorized to leave post. I remember
looking at one of the kevlars the soldiers had with them containing a
literal puddle of blood. We dumped it there along side the road and
headed back for our installation.

When we got back to McCully a group was waiting for us. One SFC was
passionately telling us how we'll get screwed because none of our
leadership would put us in for the Soldier's Medal. Now, I'm not sure
what we did would have met THAT criteria...But eventually their
battalion commander sent down "Certificates of Achievement" to us
which read:

Meritorious achievement during the recovery and evacuation of two B
Co, 501st FSB Soldiers involved in an automobile accident. Your
actions allowed for the quick medical evacuation of both soldiers and
very likely, saved their lives. This reflects great credit upon..."
yadda yadda yadda.

The reason I know the citation is because it's the only Army award I
keep in my office/cubical. Sure, i've got a couple ARCOMS and whatever - but
with being able to provide a service to those two Soldiers - that was
special to me.

I've got several, but the biggest one was when my husband came back from Afghanistan and EAS'd 4 months later.

Fortunately, we had been together for around 8 years so we had a very solid foundation to start. I don't believe we would have made it if we hadn't been together long. He returned home to a 2 year old and 6 month old twins (that he'd never met) from a combat deployment where there were several casualties and fatalities.

The whole first year of him being out of the service was an experience that changed the way I think, the way I feel, our marriage, our kids, my perspective on life in general... You learn a lot about someone when they're going through some things (survivor's guilt, PTSD, and TBI to name a few. It's been almost 5 years and while the intensity of some struggles have changed, it's still something we're forever living with.

hallucinogens

PowerMan40 wrote: »

Drowning in the Pacific ocean in a rip tide, while saving my 10 year old son, who got sucked out passed the breakers on his surf board, my body and limbs going numb from the cold water, and my head dipping below the water level, everything going black, and waking up on the beach with lifeguards and Ems all around me, hearing my kids yelling at me, not to die, and their weeping, couffing and throwing up sea water, on the beach.

You tend not to take any day your alive for granted after that point, and try to live you life to the fullest you can.

holy crap that certainly would be life altering

*Both my parents passing from drug overdosing.
*Going into foster care
*birth of each of my 2 kids
*divorce

Becoming a mother
Divorce

The responses here are humbling.

Many years ago, when Russia first opened up, we adopted a child from a rural area in the south of Russia near Turkey. I had never been out of the USA before. We spent a week in Moscow and a week in southern Russia where few westerners and fewer Americans had gone. I'll never forget the scary, the sad and the heroic things I saw during my two short weeks in Russia.

Wow! Just came upon this thread from awhile back. I'm amazed at what some of you have experienced and endured in your lives, as well as the resilience of getting through those times. Life is rarely easy, but it is wonderful and to be savored as much as possible!

When they reintroduced the McRib and just as suddenly took it away.


There's a metaphor somewhere buried in all of that bbq sauce.

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Becoming a mother.