Marine Reflects on His Journey Through War and Trauma Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
THEN & NOW The Shot Plunged My Life Into Darkness Now I Can See the Light
A Marine reflects on his long journey through war and trauma
Bill Bee, then a U.S. Marine sergeant, reacts as a Taliban bullet hits a wall just inches from his face during the Battle of Garmsir in Helmand province on May 18, 2008. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic to , a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please . For five years following the infamous 2008 photos of my brush with a Taliban sniper at age 26, I battled three traumatic brain injuries accumulated over 13 years as an infantry rifleman, the last from an IED blast in Marjah, Afghanistan. I was a shadow of my former self when my time as a grunt ended in 2013. I was a staff sergeant and had joined up right out of high school a year before 9/11. Memory loss from the TBIs [traumatic brain injuries] and the weight of a decision I took that resulted in the death of two Marines were constant. My outlook on life was dark. It’s now 2022, I just turned 40 and I live in suburban North Carolina with my wife, Bobbie, and son, Ethan, near a creek where I teach him to fish. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. I may not be fully healed, but I am in a far better place, in many ways, including literally, than I was in 2008 — the sweaty perineum of the world, Helmand province. A single round cracked
The day that changed my life was May 18, 2008, a month into the Battle of Garmsir. I was washing my cammies with soap and a rusty bucket and laughing that my pants were so crusty they could stand on their own. I was a squad leader in 1/6 Marines on my third deployment in Afghanistan. When a single round cracked over our building, I threw on my pants and grabbed my rifle. Moments later I spotted a mud hut where the sniper was firing from, took aim — and then my world went dark. The round had impacted inches from my face and propelled a mass of mud wall onto my head. I woke up strapped to a stretcher. I had been unconscious for a few minutes, but I refused to be evacuated; I had no holes in me and I wanted to stay in the fight. Reuters photographer showed me that would grace the front pages of newspapers and be broadcast on TV screens. The pictures may have looked heroic, but I thought they were hilarious. I was doing my laundry and my response was muscle memory. Duct-taped to a fridge
That massive blast left me with brain injuries that still dominate my life. At first, I couldn’t walk 100 yards without stumbling. I began suffering flashbacks as well. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Family Caregiving Savings on in-home caregiving services See more Family Caregiving offers > When I was training Navy corpsmen, the problems continued. After I got into an altercation with a student, I realized I couldn’t handle my issues by myself. Opening up
So, for the first time, I sat down with a professional. I opened up about problems, memories and every ugly thing I’d ever done. By the end, I could walk freely in crowded streets without panicking. It was a breakthrough that I didn’t think was possible. Now, I have a dream job assisting Marines on ranges that use robotic targets. My turnaround showed me that one of the hardest things we as veterans need to do is ask for help. We pride ourselves on our ability to suck it up when we’re in, but that mindset is counterproductive in civilian life. There are organizations dedicated to helping us, but they don't know who needs assistance until we ask for it. Once we take that step, they'll move heaven and earth. They’ve enabled me to see the light again. This article is based on The Shot: The Harrowing Journey of a Marine in the War on Terror by Bill Bee and Wills Robinson is on Sept. 13, 2022. Do you have a potential story that might make a THEN & NOW article in AARP Veteran Report? If so, please . AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS