The Honor Was Mine by Elizabeth Heaney

Author:Elizabeth Heaney [Heaney, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503935747
Publisher: Grand Harbor Press
Published: 2016-09-05T23:00:00+00:00

Moti

I’ve spent the morning in an auditorium, giving briefings to three hundred soldiers who’ve just returned from their year in Afghanistan. I’ve conducted the briefing so many times now that I’m able to relax and joke around with them while I make sure they get the information about the counseling program. I tell them the counseling is strictly confidential, and then I say, “I know, I know. You don’t believe me. But here’s the thing: Even if your commander comes to me and says, ‘Did Morris come and see you?’ I will lose my job if I answer that question.”

I let that sink in for a minute and then I tell them, “I really like my job. I want to keep it. Telling anyone you came to see me is not going to happen.” I watch a few of them sit forward at that part, and I hope they’re starting to believe they might be able to ask for help without suffering repercussions.

I’m glad things go well while I’m on stage, but I feel I make the most impact during the breaks when I hang out in the courtyard of the community building with soldiers, chatting and making contact one-on-one.

The breeze in the courtyard is brisk, but the air has the freshness of an early-spring morning, so no one seems to mind the chill. During the break, soldiers gather there in twos and threes, smoking cigarettes and chugging energy drinks. I tease one private by telling him I’m tracking the number of energy drinks he guzzles during the day’s briefings. He laughs and says, “I’m on number three already.”

While I’m chatting, I notice a young soldier standing off to the edge of the group. She’s not talking to anyone and looks awkward—like someone who seems to always get left on the sidelines. I’m concerned she might be having a hard time, so I make my way over to her. I glance at her name tag and see that I’m talking to SPC Katel.

“Hey, good morning.” I lean against the wall next to her, looking out at all the soldiers in the courtyard.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

Katel doesn’t make eye contact, and her voice is so quiet I can hardly hear her response. I have a hunch that she’s just very shy, so I lower the intensity of my voice and ask her where she’s from.

“Wisconsin, ma’am.”

“You headed there for block leave?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I’m wondering what topics might help her relax a little, so I keep probing.

“You have family there?

Katel nods.

“What’s your favorite part about going back?”

With this question, she turns to face me. A grin starts to spread across her face and her eyes start to sparkle with pleasure. The change in her demeanor is so sudden, it takes me by surprise.

“I’ll get to see my dog, Moti.” The grin gets bigger. “I missed him like crazy. I’ve had him since he was two months old, and now he’s five, and my folks kept him while I was deployed, so I can’t wait to go get him.

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