Wednesday 20 April 2011

Aaron D. Neufeld- Blog #33

BLOG POST #33- War; Phase 2

Not everyone could be as lucky as my uncle was though. A friend of mine from high school went to study abroad in Israel for two years. During his second year overseas, he enlisted in the Israeli military. He received intense physical training. His life changed. He was no longer just a student studying abroad. He was seriously training. He was becoming a solider. And in Israel, soldiers fight. There are few who sit behind a computer.

He soon found himself moving up. He was no longer allowed to contact his friends or family outside of the military freely. His Internet access and phone access became extremely limited and he was confined to focusing on the military and not connecting with the outside world. When I was able to hear from him, I heard it was tough. He said he liked it, but I could hear he was stressed. He asked friends to send him any small gifts that they could to remind him of home. It was taking a toll. He learned to use various weapons and patrolled streets. He’d even seen combat a few times. When asked about it, it wasn’t something he liked to talk about for very long.

His time in the military is almost up now, but it’s been almost three years since he joined. He should be returning to the United States this summer, but I know he is a changed man. It is weird to lose a friend even though he isn’t gone. But the solider returning to the United States this summer is not the same student and friend who went to study abroad three years ago.

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