Have You Ever Wondered Who You’d Be Without War?

Have you ever wondered who you’d be without the war? Seriously?

I have thought about it quite a bit and, if I was given the choice, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Why? What was so great about it? Nothing. It sucked.

It was what I earned, learned, and gained from it that will sustain me for the rest of my life.

The things I learned in war will help me teach my children and grandchildren. They will help me help other Vets recover. They will allow me to be the example of “greater love hath no man than to give up his life for his brothers.” These are the things that make me who I am.

When you go to war, a part of you dies, and you are reborn like a Phoenix. You have more inner strength, fortitude, willpower, and resolve. You have all those qualities and more. Gen Mattis said it best, PTSD is not a crippling disorder. Our experiences made us resilient and stronger than most. What you learn at war, you appreciate life that much more. The small things do not get to you as much. You care more, you have seen the horrors man commits and know what man is capable of.

You come back with brothers. A set of different kinds of brothers. Brothers who spilled the same blood in the same mud. We laughed, cried, fought, honored those we lost and that bond is something no one can ever understand.

Who did I become? I became more than a man. I became something else.

So, have you wondered who you’d be without war?

Think about it.

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Ayman Kafel is the co-founder and managing partner of Project Sapient Podcast. It is the #1 law enforcement and military podcast with over 12,000 listeners and growing rapidly in just under a year. Project Sapient was founded to engage brothers and sisters in law enforcement and military communities in conversations that need to be had and exemplify the positive and unpack the controversy plaguing the profession and our society.

Ayman has seen the ugliness of war and evil in the world. He has survived two civil wars prior to immigrating to the United States in the late eighties.

In addition, Ayman is an Army Combat Veteran who was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. He became a police officer in 2007 after 8 years of service in the Army.

Ayman has been a police officer for over 15 years. He has worked as a patrol officer, plain-clothes officer, detective, fire investigator, Metro SWAT operator, DEA Task Force Officer, DEA Special Response Team assistant team leader.

His current position is the commander of his department’s Problem-Oriented Policing Unit. He leads a team of investigators that employs unconventional methods and Special Forces philosophy in achieving specific objectives in the communities he serves. These unconventional methods range from winning hearts and minds to specific strategic law enforcement actions to arrest and prosecute those who are the root cause of various crimes.

Ayman has made it his mission to use his experience and bring awareness of PTSD, TBI, depression and various other mental health disorders that are very prevalent in the veteran and law enforcement communities. To talk openly and confidently about these things without the stigma of what society labels combat veterans and law enforcement have.