Hi, I'm Longshanks, and yes, I'm a direct descendant of King Edward I "Longshanks" Plantagenet of "Braveheart" fame. No, my ancestor was not as evil as portrayed on film - but he could be brutal. I was just diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome on January 10, 2012 after 47 years of struggling in social situations. While I am currently unemployed full-time, I am a major in the Air Force Reserve part time. I am, by profession, a paralegal, tax professional, and was a law student until the economy went flip-flop. I also did some investigation work for the DoD. I'm happily married to a wonderful soulmate who helped me figure out that I'm an aspie. Life has been much easier since then and I can't describe the weight taken off my shoulders once I was diagnosed. My hobbies are strategic and tactical wargaming, military history, law, model railroading, and geneology. I've traced my family tree to 200 BC.
I've never been in a forum like this before, so it may take me a while to learn the ropes. I've joined for help and support and maybe to help someone in return. I believe that knowledge is meant for the benefit of human kind - not its destruction. Please be patient with me. I am trying to learn.
It's not easy for me - I can relate to my wife, who fought in Panama - and others who have seen military service. We're all used to a routine and a way of life that is regimented and thus comforting. But it's hard for me to relate to civilians. I was a loner as a kid and the military, in the end, was a good fit for me. There is a camaraderie and I belong. But we all struggle and will continue to struggle, and there will always be people that will never understand why. But remember that struggle builds a bond – it creates camaraderie. It is the stuff that ignites individual courage and yet humbles us enough to cling to each other in time of need. It reminds us how to cry while at the same time enables us to laugh. It is the element that shrouds us in darkness, yet creates the electricity that brings about the light. I hope that we who share this situation form that camaraderie - that we help each other through the shelling and the enfilade fire of life - that we cheer each other during the victory parades and reviews.
I have been in some live sorties - and I was scared in every one of them. But I convey to you all that it's much easier being scared together than it is to be scared alone. For despite the fear - especially of the unknown - what brings about courage is not only numbers, but others who share in the situation at hand and help each other through it.
I pray for all of you, and join you in the battle line. I consider it a priviledge to be with all of you.
Longshanks
03 Feb 2012, 11:22 pm
