Its gone

Its Gone
“Someone stole my helmet,” says a voice in the doorway to the supply room. Well what can I do about it? I can charge the soldier for a helmet and get one in a few days to a week. I just do not understand how some one could steal something that is more valuable than almost anything the young soldier owns. This could cause him great problems. Now he thinks of the money first and foremost and then he thinks of his life. He will not sleep tonight and will not stop looking for it for days. He might even resort to lifting someone else’s helmet, thus the cycle begins. It is not so much for his safety that he would do it but it is for the financial aspect of it. Young soldiers are kind of like kids jumping off the roof of the house. The first time is terrifying but they still do it. They believe in their minds that they are indestructible. With age comes the wisdom that indestructible behavior can cause a kind of self-destruction. The fear in the young soldiers eyes is not necessarily about combat but that of separation. Separation from family, friends and life style can cause a young soldier to hit the “wall” hard and not recover. With this some soldiers go AWOL not knowing how to cope. Again it comes back to an attentive NCO, Officer or other soldier to recognize and provide some guidance.