“One of the first nights we got to Iraq, I saw something streaking across the sky. It looked just like the big fireworks I remembered seeing in Waldron—the kind that leaves a sparkling trail behind it.
Someone behind me said, ‘We need to get inside.’
I remember saying, ‘I want to watch the fireworks!’
That’s when they told me they weren’t fireworks.
They were rockets and mortars. The enemy was shooting at us.
It didn’t take long to become familiar with the sounds.
We’d hear a ‘thomp’ as a mortar was launched, then seconds later the ‘thud’ when it landed.
Sometimes they hit so close that gravel would strike the sides of our trailers.
For several weeks they kept targeting our camp. At times they would even set rockets on nearby berms with timers so they could fire at any hour of the day or night.
Patrols with sniper teams, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), and air support eventually put an end to it.
But more than 20 years later, the memories haven’t ended.Every Fourth of July—and even during thunderstorms—the sounds can bring me right back to those moments when we didn’t know if we’d live to see another day.
“The booming fireworks sound like rockets and mortars impacting. Even some firecrackers remind me of AK-47 gunfire.”
As the wife of a combat veteran living with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, and other combat-related injuries, I can honestly say the past 20-plus years have not been easy for him or for our family.
Every veteran is different. Some aren’t bothered by loud noises at all. Others struggle even more than Bill does.
But I can tell you this: I’ve never met one who wants people to stop celebrating the Fourth of July. They don’t want pity, either.
What they do hope for is understanding. A little grace. Maybe a little patience if they quietly leave before the fireworks begin, or if they seem uneasy while everyone else is celebrating.
The freedoms we enjoy today were paid for by men and women willing to stand in places most of us can only imagine. Some came home carrying wounds we can see. Others came home carrying wounds we cannot.
I have heard my husband say many times,”I’d do it all again if I needed to.”
Even after everything we’ve lived through…So would I.
These are the memories Bill has. Someone else there may remember things a little differently.
