They lay in their wooden sarcophagus, the polished and the tattered, the clean and the dirty, the garrison and the combat. They represent a life once lived. The polished an attempt to capture the accomplishments of the tattered through ornamental displays. The polished always the façade, covering the burdens and horrific realities of the tattered. Every ribbon, metal, and award sought to capture the impossible. The beautifully adorned could never capture the blood, sweat, and grit of the tattered.
The once beautifully brown leather quickly tainted. They sit now, tattered and torn. They are the representation of a life so few will ever understand. If the tattered could talk, they would tell me fables I long forgot and many more I could never forget.
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This first appeared in The Havok Journal on January 17, 2024.
Jake Smith is a law enforcement officer and former Army Ranger with four deployments to Afghanistan.
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