compliment

While writing my review of watching Restrepo (to follow) an incident got recalled to my mind from my last visit up to Sebastian.  An incident I had forgotten, but which I take as a compliment, a nice feel good moment.

Some decisions were made by the Powers That Be towards the end of the tour that took Sebastian away from his section.  He is very protective of his section, and it was vey hard on him to be away from them, away from the daily danger they were facing.

During the time he was separated from them, his 2IC, a close friend we will call Tx, went trough 2 very nasty episodes, separated by a mere few days. 

Tx got back to Canada a few days after Sebastian, and while I was up visiting he called and invited us over to his house for a few beverages.  S warned me in advance that Tx had been through some rough stuff and wasn't handling it well, that he had been in some trouble during third location decompression, and that he was having anger issues and flashback issues.  Tx's issues are, like so often happens, mostly survivor guilt issues.  S knows my past with the wolf, and I think he was warning me as much so it wouldn't trigger a flashback of my own.

Tx's finaceé, and a few other friends were there ase well when we arrived.  Tx tried to talk to S a couple of times about things from over there, but his finaceé asked him not to talk about it in front of her.  She is military as well, and dealing with her own issues.

After a few drinks, there was only S, Tx and I in the living room.  Tx started to open up and talk about an incident from over there, and then stopped cold and looked at me.  S jumped in and said "S'all good, man, she's cool.  She won't judge you.  She doesn't do that."

That may seem like a little thing, but to the people there - Tx, Sebastian, and myself - it meant the world.  Tx relaxed like the air had been let out of him.  S swelled a little with pride, and I felt a surge of love.

Tx continued on to share some things, and to feel comfortable around me, and talk to me, even when S got up and drifted away, Tx kept connecting with me.  I am glad I gave him another person to feel comfortable with, and S has mentioned a couple of times how much it means to him that I am good with "his boys", and specifically that Tx connected with me.

I may have just became the step-mom to an entire section.