(This is the cabin of our C-130 on our trip from Kuwait to Afghanistan.  The members of Operation Proper Exit are spread throughout the cabin.)

This is the third in a series about my trip to Afghanistan with Operation Proper Exit (Feherty’s Troops First Foundation).  Click these links to read #1and #2

With a flight time of over five hours from Kuwait to Afghanistan and a C-130 reserved just for the members of Operation Proper Exit (OPE), each of us spread out throughout the cabin as soon as the plane took off. On my flights to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011, I knew everyone would not be making the return trip home after the deployment. During the flights, I would inquisitively stare at the men and wonder who would make the ultimate sacrifice. Six years later with OPE, I scanned the faces in the cabin mid-flight and the sense of dread I used to feel was replaced with inspiration.

I saw five other men who had suffered devastating injuries and underwent an excruciating physical, mental and emotional healing process. I noticed the prosthetic arm and legs along with a set of crutches propped up against the cabin walls. After all these men had been through, they still possessed the courage to go back to the land that took so much from them. While my mind processed these images and emotions I thought to myself, “this is what resilience looks like”.