Heymandi 2025-10-29T16:13:39Z
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The sticky plastic of my lawn chair clung to my thighs as I stared at the blank message thread. Fireworks exploded overhead in showers of red and blue, their thunderous booms echoing the panic in my chest. Fourth of July, and I had nothing to say. My cousin's service photo stared back from my screensaver - two tours in Afghanistan - while my cursor blinked accusingly. "Happy 4th!" felt like spitting on his sacrifice. How do you thank someone for freedom when your own words feel like cheap party -
Rain lashed against the Belfast pub window as I traced the condensation with a restless finger. Five years since handing in my green beret, and tonight the ghosts of Lympstone were louder than the Friday night crowd. That hollow ache behind the ribs – civilians call it nostalgia, but we know it's the absence of the breathing, sweating, swearing organism that was your section. My phone buzzed with another meaningless notification, and I nearly hurled it into the Guinness taps. Then I remembered t