Response to Sean Huze’s “The Sandstorm”

I have decided to respond to this play with a short fiction story that I wrote that explains how I felt after reading, "The Sandstorm" by Sean Huze. Here it goes:

The pain is real. I've lost my brother, and my best friend to this forsaken violence. The screaming still pierces my dreams and sends me into a downward spiral. All I have for comfort are the nightmares I brought back with me. I will always remember the day I lost him.

We had fought hard through the night, securing a small border town in Afghanistan. The commander had given the order to pull out and move back to base camp. We were exhausted, and sore. The temperature was well over a hundred degrees, and this was at four in the morning.

The flash was bright and my ears started to ring. I fell to the ground and searched with my hands to find my gun that had fallen from my grip in the commotion. My hands started to throb and I could smell burning flesh. As my vision started to return, my eyes adjusted and I ducked behind the jeep that now sat on its side.

I caught my breath, and listened as the air around me grew quiet. The gunfire had ceased; the only sound that remained was the crackling of the fire. As the adrenaline faded, the pain set in. Not only in my body from the shrapnel wound I had sustained, but also from the sight that greeted my vision as my mind focused. The image haunts me to this day, my brother's body lying in a pool of blood and gasoline; fire consuming his flesh. Dead.

The war stole some things from me that day: It stole my humanity, it stole my peace, but most importantly it stole my best friend. The countless tears that my family shed for him will not bring him back, I know this. The pain is something that will never leave, the nightmares will never cease, and I will never forget the day that he died.

Here is my link for this week. I found this very interesting and read many of the posts on it. It is a blog from a solider that served in Iraq. Please enjoy it, as it made for some interesting reading.

http://shawn_richardson.typepad.com/

As far as a visual is concerned, I went for a YouTube video posted by Emory University. It explains the symptoms of a solider that is diagnosed with PTSD. This is what a lot of soldiers have to deal with when they return home. I found this video to be informative and interesting. Thanks.