Veterans, Healing, and Long-Distance Hiking - Trey Walton

 The struggle of transitioning from warrior to civilian is one that I have always heard was extremally difficult, but it is really interesting listing upon reflection from a person that has experienced that.  Dr. Redick was only 17 when he went to serve.  I have learned so much about myself and have made so much progress in finding my identity since I was 17.  I can imagine being that age and being thrown into an intense environment such as the military can have such a lasting impact on who you are as a person.  

"So many of my fellow Marines couldn’t wait to enter civilian life, to be free from the structure and rigid discipline, only to reenlist within a year after separation"  -  This quote blew my mind.  After being apart from your life and family for years, wishing to go back the whole time.  And then once they get the chance to they immediately cave and go back to the service life.  Just blows my mind.  I would love to learn exactly why this is so hard.  Is it the lack of structure?  Is it the boring emptiness of civilian life?  Is there something that I could never understand since I've never served?  This was answered later in the article. The violence that was embedded in your mind that is hard to get rid of and is not human nature. It's hard to go back to normal life after you've been told to kill kill kill.  

I really loved the "volcano inside" imagery as a reflection of not only the PTSD or trauma that those in the armed forces face, but also a direct call to the volcanos on the trails. Just like how a volcano need to let off steam or it will blow up, if those struggling with mental problems such as PTSD don't release some of the steam that they have been building up, they will eventually snap.  

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