A Strange Love

Warriors in combat carry a tremendous burden. It's the fear of letting their teammates down, of not being ready and steady when bullets fly and bombs are going off. "Will I be able to do my job, will I let the others down?"

This is a strange love. It's not the kind of love that a mother has for her child, rather it is a love that is visceral, carnal, desperate, lethal, and tender.

Instead, this love transcends those traditional boundaries, embodying a complexity that is both compelling and unsettling. It is a love that is visceral, igniting the senses in a way that feels almost primal. It draws you in with an intensity that is hard to resist, making every heartbeat resonate with a potent mix of protective instinct and urgency.

This love is carnal, rooted deeply in the physical realm, where touch and proximity become paramount. It is an addiction that is not merely emotional but also deeply physical, that goes beyond mere words. There is a rawness to it, an unrefined energy that surges through every interaction, every near miss, every crack of a bullets ballistic coefficient that can feel both exhilarating and terrifying.

It compels grown men to act in ways that defy reason, pushing them beyond the edge of their own moral compasses. In the throes of this kind of love, one might find themselves making choices that are reckless or irrational, driven by an overwhelming need to close with and destroy anything that would cause a teammate harm. It can lead to moments of vulnerability where the heart is laid bare, exposing the deepest fear, loosing a brother.

Yet, within this tumultuous landscape, there exists a lethal quality to this love. It possesses the power to destroy as much as it can protect, leaving a trail of chaos in its wake. The intensity of such feelings can lead to heroic acts by ordinary men. These men project a sense of danger that can be unsettling to those unfamiliar with combat. War, while intoxicating, can also be a double-edged sword, more addictive than heroin is capable of inflicting deep spiritual wounds that may never fully heal.

Only a fellow warrior, a Peshmerga(those that face death) can understand the meaning behind the answer to a common question,"how are you doing?"

"I'm good."