Homecomings

by 17artichokes

When a soldier comes home from war and fighting through battle, one can only imagine how difficult it must be. The soldier is so accustomed to the adrenaline rushes of bullets whizzing by their head, constant calls to go fight, and the unknowingness of weather or not a roadside bomb will go off at any time. When soldiers return home, everything seems pale in comparison to the excitement of battle. In  Siobhan Fallon’s short story “Tips for a Smooth Transition”, the soldier is constantly looking for a thrill and he even jumps into shark infested waters just to get a rush. Obviously this would be concerning to anybody that cares about him, but it is also understandable given that the soldier had been in the heat of battle for so long.  In the Hurt locker, there is a quote that reads “The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” This quote directly applies to the main character, William James, as he Is constantly looking for danger and testing himself to the limit. He takes off his helmet when disarming a massive bomb and goes searching for insurgents on an unauthorized mission, which ends up getting one of his fellow soldiers shot in the leg. When the soldier is getting airlifted home for his injury, he even mentions how his injury is a result of James’ “adrenaline fix”. One can only feel bad for these soldiers as they return home. Obviously they would like things to go back to normal. But as the quote states- war is a drug, and when someone is addicted to something especially war, it is hard to let go.