(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”.

(On the left is SSG (R) Daniel Burgess and myself on the right.  We are in a C-17 waiting on the tarmac in Kuwait while the flight crew prepares for our flight to Bagram, Afghanistan.)

This is the second in a series about my trip to Afghanistan with Operation Proper Exit (Feherty’s Troops First Foundation).  To read the first post click here.

Kuwait was surreal. The last time I was in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait it was almost six years ago while I travelled through for my mid-tour leave. As soon as we arrived, we ate midnight chow in the same place I had eaten six years ago. When I sat my tray down on the table and looked around, it felt like I had been there just yesterday. The next day we woke up early, had chow and proceeded to do interviews and pictures. After lunch we did a town hall for over three hours with almost 1,000 soldiers. Each one of us had the opportunity to tell the crowd our stories and the lessons we learned. This is a brief summary of each man’s story.

US Navy CPT(R) Tom Feeks spoke a little about his experience in the Navy, but focused mainly on his son. Patrick Feeks was a Navy SEAL and was killed-in-action on August 12, 2012 northwest of Kandahar. CPT Feeks was the first Gold-Star parent to take part in Operation Proper Exit. Having the ability to walk the land that his son walked and see the country he died in would be a sense of closure for CPT Feeks.

(On the left is myself and on the right is USMC CPL, Brandon Rumbaugh.)

This is the first of several blog posts about my return trip to Afghanistan.

Almost six years ago after being severely wounded in combat, I cried tears of joy in my hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center because I knew I would never have to go back to Afghanistan again. No longer would I go to bed at night wondering if the next day would be my last. This was one of the happiest feelings of my life, but it was short lived. After a couple of months, I started thinking about Afghanistan all the time. I missed the people, culture, terrain, firefights, missions, sense of purpose and pride. Memories were invoked simply by experiencing a random sight, smell or sound. On hikes I would think about what I would do if I were ambushed. Instead of appreciating the beauty of nature, I would think abut how I could tactically use the terrain to my advantage. Every time I walked into a room, I thought about how I would clear it and what corner to take first. This was as instinctual as breathing.

I began longing for the days that I went to bed unsure of my place on earth the next day. Waking up every morning knowing that you have to earn your right to live is an awesome and terrifying way to exist. My body was in the US,