I miss it constantly. I've lost a marriage and some friends to my odd longings. When you're there, you imagine how grand it would be to go home, but when you get back home, you realize that life carried on without you.... and that you were never really needed there. In the desert, we were needed. People relied on us. I understand why troops get depressed when they return home... because we don't need people's pity. We need a purpose. Outside of the consumerist matrix of America, we found a purpose, even if it's not what we initially wanted for ourselves. Coming back to the land of excessive convenience and incessant cynicism, we found ourselves stripped of the roles we'd spent time devoting our sweat to. They give us a pat on the back, some time off & a free annual meal at Applebee's.... but where's the purpose? Consuming just to consume, with the only struggle being, "how can I consume more?" America.... the land of the free, and the home of the perpetually depressed souls, who always see the green grass while standing on their dead lawns. The desert was red, but the desert was green.

It’s not missing combat. It’s missing being part of something bigger. Knowing you matter . Mattering to the brothers around you

"Brotherhood has nothing to do with how you feel about the other person." This is so true. There are people in my unit that I don't like, would never hang out with, but I would die for.

I’m a veteran. I have this strange coping mechanism when I’m stressed out or feel anxious. I think of the sound of gunfire and I calm down. I think it comes from the anxiety of the quite down time, waiting to be attacked. When the gunfire would finally begin, I would become calm. Because the thing I was scared of finally came, and I was in it. The anxious waiting was over. So now to this day, when my anxiety kicks in, I automatically think about gunfire, and I can calm down and cope with whatever it is I’m dealing with. The mind is a strange thing.

Looking at his eyes and the occasional struggle in speech, I'd say he struggles with quite a bit of it himself. He knows what he's talking about.

you can almost see his experiences in his eyes and on his face

I hold a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, a Combat Infantryman's Badge, etc. from Vietnam. Right after I was hit by a land mine and found out that I wasn't paralyzed by the wound,I went to help put out a brush fire that was threatening other wounded men. It was the proudest moment of my military service. I still attend my squad's reunions in Washington, D. C.--Tom Reilly

As a 20 yr vet of the Army I can support this. 3 tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. This is remarkable close to what I felt/feel. Combat is a simple life. Stay alive and protect your brothers and sisters.

He hit the nail on the head. Marines and soldiers don't particularly miss the war and combat. We miss the brotherhood, the camaraderie, knowing exactly what we would do for each other without hesitation. That is what I miss the most.

Someone finally put into words what I have been trying to explain for so long...I'm literally sitting in a Popeyes chicken with tears in my eyes because I suddenly dont feel so alone.

It's 2am I'm drinking whiskey and smoking a cigar and watching this for like the 20th time, and yet I'm still crying like it's my first time. PTSD and depression is real. Be nice to vets. Be nice to everyone. Everyone is fighting a battle you don't know about.

My darkest day was when I tried to re-enlist and then told “NO” I gave my everything to the Marines and being told that I couldn’t do this anymore it was like them telling me “you’re no longer good enough to be a Marine” I remember going back to my Ssgt and just shaking my head and I said “I got denied” he told me that I could have the rest of the week off (it was on a Monday) I went home to my (ex)wife and my newborn daughter and I just said let’s go to lunch. We went to lunch and she asked me what happened and that was the only time my wife had ever seen me cry.

The divide between combat vets and civilians is perfectly demonstrated by the way the audience is looking at him.

you can see the war in his eyes.

I've been out of the British army for 19 years and I miss it sill, everyday. Within three years of leaving, I had lost my family and I was living in a car. Time is a slow healer and I like all veterans, will take my experiences to my grave. Just trying to get through a day is very hard, but we soldier on. God bless to all veterans, no matter which war you served in...

He hit the nail on the head. This is what PTSD is all about. It's not necessarily the atrocities of combat, but the psyche of coming home and not being around our fellow brothers. You feel like a lone wolf and it makes us feel like we can't breath or deal with the reality of the situation sometimes.

our platoon Sergeant a Viet nam vet told us if your white,black,brown or red we are all green now and we all bleed red.that was 30 years ago and it still resonates with me

I quote from the German general in BOB "Men, it's been a long war, it's been a tough war. You've fought bravely, proudly for your country. You are a special group, who have found in one another a bond that exists only in combat. -- Among brothers who have shared foxholes, who have held each other in dire moments, who have seen death, and suffered together... I am proud to have served with you. You deserve a long and happy life of peace"

You could see Sebastian trying to hold back the emotions from the shared experiences many times during his presentation. One thing he didn’t talk about, because you could go on forever, is how as a soldier (particularly as an elite soldier ie airborne, ranger, special forces) you have so much power and responsibility in the military and war and when you return to the world many struggle to be trusted with even trivial things. There aren’t many occupations for someone who is a master of weapons etc. It doesn’t translate well to civilian life except for law enforcement. The sense of belonging to something for many is just instantly over.

I spent 5 years in the Marines before being medically discharged in 2011. I did 3 tours in Iraq, and I miss it daily. Not the combat, but the brotherhood, the mission, actually doing something worth a damn. I've found that I'm attracted to other veterans in the civilian world. I recently left a company to join a veteran owned small business that had ~15 other veterans in it. I've found that being around other vets, sharing the war stories, the loss, the good times, really helps bring that feeling of brotherhood back. I wouldn't leave my current job and the guys I work with for any amount of raises.

What civilians don't understand is that when you experience being part of something that changes history (which is exactly what war does) and you go back to doing the "normal" routine in the civilian world, your eyes are open to seeing that world and the people in it in a different light. It is not just the combat that changes you and there is a bit too much emphasis being placed on it. Not everyone has gotten into a massive firefight at an outpost, but many have had to endure indirect fire, IEDs, snipers, etc. on a periodic basis, but it didn't matter. Even if someone didn't get shot or see a friend die, the experience will change you, especially if you did operations outside of the wire. When you are part of the 1% that serves and then maybe .50% that went to a combat deployment, you are going to miss that life where everything was narrowed down to accomplishing the mission and watching your fellow troop's back. Back home is a bunch of bills, work to pay those bills with very little personal satisfaction, relationships to manage, over saturation by the media, and being surrounded with people who only know their own world and constantly complain about it. Yeah, deploying will always be yearned for by many.

I was in Fallujah in 2004 and in 2006. Clearing houses, seeing the Mujahadeen up close and personal was far worse than anything in Afghanistan - let me tell you that - What I miss is the adrenaline, yes, it was the most intense experience I ever had or will ever have. No thrill in my life will ever come close to it again - EVERYTHING is boring. I hate my life sometimes; I wish I would have just died a hero's death, my family got my $750,000 life insurance policy, and I wouldn't lead the existence I do. There's a quote by Hemingway I will paraphrase here which sums it all up, as he himself was in WWI: "Men who have hunted other men in War will find no joy in anything else thereafter", and he eventually blew his head off with a shotgun. I think this quote applies to all those veteran's who killed themselves. We are warriors, we have no more war to fight, and there is no place for a warrior in modern society.

I cry privately, i miss my team and the security i felt with them. "I miss it all" also

Great talk! I am a life long civilian and an academic. Every time the camera panned around to show what looked like soft, self-absorbed egg heads in the audience, I thought, "I hope that is not what I look like to a soldier". I sensed that both the males and the females were uncomfortable, some even annoyed, hearing about the other side of the bubble they live in, and the kinds of things that are required of hard men to keep that bubble from popping.

As a civilian, I was very moved by this. Very transparent. Helping me grasp at something I'll never fully understand.

I was a varsity player in University. and after graduation there was this emptiness, and boredom that was eating at me. I went to a therapist and he said I have mild PTSD or for lack of a better term, an Adjustment Disorder. wtf. imagine if some ordinary ex athlete like me could get an adjustment disorder, I cannot even imagine how much heavier the load these Veterans carry. Ladies and Gentlemen of the armed forces all over the world, I salute you. People really understate what you go through.

I'm 75 and sometimes I still miss it, but having joined a couple of reunion groups with vets of my unit helps a great deal. When the ache gets to be too much I think of being in the mountains, in the rain, with no food or water b/c the choppers can't fly with leaches hanging off of my body and wet to the skin. That gets rid of the the horror of feeling lost pretty quickly. Follow me!

This is the best explanation of what I feel, what I miss. It took me a long time to adjust to the loss of the camaraderie, the brotherhood. I spent 30 years in the Army, 30 years developing these bonds, and all of a sudden, upon retirement, you are cast out into another, very different society. It truly is a culture shock. I must have subconsciously known about this, because I immediately found a way to get back into the fray, back into the brotherhood. I got a job as a contractor and was employed to go back to Afghanistan prior to signing out of the military. I was back in the fold and overseas 3 days after I officially retired. I remember the phone interview, when they hired me, it was as if I had won the lottery, I was ecstatic, I felt very fortunate to be back in the game. I played football my entire childhood and in high school, that feeling of back in the game was very similar to being pulled from a football game for a missed block, or a fumble or a dropped pass. Coach benched you, you felt abandoned, but then he called your number and the feeling elation is the closest I can come to explaining being able to go back to the fray, I felt great, I was happy and fulfilled again. I am not a war monger, but the best ten years of my serve was the war years following 9/11. Again, the football analogy works here. Before 9/11, I was n a team that only practiced, was never allowed to play a game, have actual competition against another team, then came 9/11 and it kicked off ten years of live action. You and your team mates went from good friends to "the brotherhood". I was an incredible evolution, I am so fortunate to have been there and experienced it. It was both a blessing and a curse. The blessing was being part of the brotherhood, the curse was the price some of your team mates, or brothers would pay for that experience. We all knew it was possible, and in some cases, likely, but we forged on. The "juice was worth the squeeze". Mr Junger is right on the money when he describes what being shot at is like, he gave a very accurate description, the tunnel vision and the slow motion altered state, the adrenaline rush or flood in my case is very real and very addictive. After one near death experience, it took me hours to expel all of the adrenalin, it must be the same for drug addicts, I can relate to the endless pursuit of drugs, after a few close calls, I became a junkie. Thank you Sebastian for this video, its the best and most accurate explanation I have come across, it hit home with me.

In the military and especially during war...we know where we stand. In civilian life we don't. We find it hard to find people we can trust and know has our back.

The short answer: They had purpose.

I am a Vietnam veteran. Sebastian Junger is one of my favorite authors. I own a copy of "The Perfect Storm" which is probably his best-known work. This is the first time I've heard him speak. I watched the movie, "Restrepo." His commentary is as elegant as is his writing. I think his observations are sound. The peculiar biochemistry that happens in situations of intense stress has an addictive quality. The camaraderie and esprit de corps would be hard to duplicate anywhere else.

I’m 53 and have been retired since 2010. 4 tours, and I still miss it. Canada 🇨🇦 Veteran

About the "please somebody attack us" line: there's also the psychology of fear at play. It's preferable to be IN a firefight rather than the constant fear and vigilance waiting for one that you know will happen but not when.

I was an infantryman (11B) in the Army and did two tours post 9/11. He hit the nail on the head with "brotherhood" during his speech. Other things change. I used to like hunting before war, but I can't these days.

I'm not military but wildland firefighter, I was injured recieving a traumatic brain injury and was forced to self resign, coming back home to San Diego I got the hero's welcome but something felt off, saw a plume of smoke and drove towards it after leaving work without a second thought, I stopped myself and the rest of the ride home everything was on fire... I wasnt scared tho, I was calm. I broke down crying and speeding home and I was back in the mountains trapped in fire, not scared but missing it. My head put me back in the mountains even tho I'm back home, didnt realize how many episodes I went through before it was PTSD, I pray this video helps fight everything i been dealing with. I share this story in Hope's other people can understand but also relate. I'm proud of you guys n gals, if you feel like your nothing know that you've done good and should be proud of yourself, maybe I'll be back in those mountains soon. I love y'all keep your head up

Combat was intense and almost spiritual. I’ve never felt so alive.

As a member of the 173ABCT in the Pesh and Konar river valleys, may I say thank you Sebastian for bringing light to the realities of war...

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." ~ Hemingway

Former infantry Corpsman here. A big part of it is that we train every single hour of every single day simulating war and combat. So the build up to the experience almost feels like a sports team preparing for a big game with the highest possible stakes.

The closeness with fellow soldiers - taking high road of helping humanity, your country, believing in their mission. God bless each & every one of them

It's very hard to explain this to civilians and even family members about this without getting negatively judged or criticized

I miss my friends that died over there. I can't go a single day without seeing the dead or thinking about friends who died over there. It didn't fully hit me how much all that death has stayed with me until I saw that movie Lone Survivor. Others in the theater was s talking and a few sniffling was heard was they read off the names of the guys who died during that mission. I just sat there with my face pouring tears and thinking about my friends I put in body bags and knowing they were just kids. I cant go to movies like that anymore in theaters. I cant watch horror movies either because of the blood. I some times just for no reason just start crying and thinking about these times. I live in constant pain in my body now. But nothing hurts more than losing my buddies from back then.

When I fought in Afghanistan for 9 months the world kept going. It felt weird but at the same time I loved it because I didn't have to deal with the rest of the world .

That adrenaline rush was tremendous, and I loved it. To prove his points, I have been out of the service for about 20yrs now, and miss it more than I know how to say. A vet buddy of mine put it best, "The hardest part is knowing I will never be that cool again."

I've said it time and time again.. When you come home, it's like the world has lost all of its color

As a combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan I will try to explain it as best I can to those who have not been in this rather unique situation. One part is the adrenaline rush. And there is no rush like it. I don't care if you drive a motorcycle at 120 mph or jump out of a plane. It does not even come close to combat. And adrenaline can be addictive. The other part is what Sebastian focused on. And this does not begin in combat. It begins day one when you get to your unit. The hardships and struggles you go through in training bring you together like nothing else (I was 0311 i.e. rifleman in the Marines). And it's not that we all got along. Some of us hated certain individuals within our own platoons or even fire teams but, we knew that we had to trust the individual to the left and right of us and they had to do the same. And when that trust is tested in combat it just brings you closer together in this brotherhood. And when we get back and eventually out of service you enter the civilian world. And unlike in the military where it is ALL about the unit, to the point where you will go without sleep or food for days on end to accomplish the task at hand, the civilian world is all about the individual. So we view many, not all but, many civilians as lazy, undisciplined, sloppy, and self centered. And is the reason why were more comfortable around other veterans compared to the general civilian population. Oh and a side note to those who think were mindless, dumb killers. I can put you up against any of my Marines I served with and 9 times out of 10 they will be more intelligent, adaptable, physically and mentally stronger then you. There is a reason why many companies seek veterans and why a larger percentage excel over their classmates in college.

Excellent video. Veterans don't miss war. They miss the brotherhood and sense of importance that comes along with being a soldier. I think many men are facing this problem in modern society. Civilians (like myself) and veterans alike. The difference between veterans and civilians is the fact that the veterans actually know what they are missing, and the civilians do not.

I got woke up to a fire fight when I was in the Marines. Jumped up grabbed my helmet and rifle , I ran towards the sound of the fire fight. Afterwards walking back EVERYBODIES cracking up looking at me. I ran out in my boxers and boots. Oh well I got there though!!

I remember last year I went to see a WWI documentary at a theater called They Shall Not Grow Old. I sat at the very top of the theatre silently crying with tears in my eyes watching this. This was combat from my great grandfather's generation when he went to war as a young man and happen to survive. My Dad went through WWII and Korea as a Paratrooper and Infantryman. My Uncles did the same in Vietnam. My oldest Brother went with the 82nd Airborne in Grenada. I for my personal experience as a young Paratrooper in the Panama Invasion of 1989-90. Later I was in Iraq with my own soldiers as an infantry squad leader and platoon sergeant during 2006-08. In a combat zone my soldiers mean everything to me. Because these are the young men that have to follow me and do what they are ordered to do dangerous things that can cost them their lives. I was very lucky at the end of both one year tours that none of my soldiers are dead or wounded. It was a miracle that they all shot well and moved without hesitation and used their heads when receiving heavy fire from the enemy. The followed orders and took charge of every situation we were in. The located enemy targets, moved, shoot, and communicated like a well oiled machine. They were magnificent flowing like mercury through the combat zone. I was impressed by their abilities. I managed to put into their heads the seriousness of combat during pre-deployment training. During that time before combat. They can be trained to immediate responses with untested leaders but I was with them to tell them what will happen when we deployed. I was once untested and the rest of my platoon had no combat experience except for my Squad Leader. He was a veteran of Grenada from 1st Ranger Battalion. I respected this man and he made me his Bravo Team Leader. I listened to him along with the stories and advice of my Dad and Uncles who had served in wars previously. The squad I was in went into auto pilot the first night of combat. The comradery of working together under fear of getting killed or wounded sinks in every minute and hour as we moved and shot at the enemy. In combat a person's hearing and sight becomes more keen. Reflexes and mind become tuned in to his job in the team like a team sport of football. Because failure on the battlefield is either dead or be wounded. We got lucky in Panama for my first time. I will never forget the guys in my squad, platoon, and company. This will live forever in my mind. Dad said to me when I came back. "Son. You did what you had to do to stay alive. You made sure you kept your friends alive, and your friends did the same for you. Only you have your own story to how it went down. I can't criticize you because only you did what you had to do to live.". That was profound by Dad who survived combat in WWII and Korea. That was the few times I had seen Dad cry too.

I have a beautiful family and a beautiful home. I’m in a career field I’m good at. My future is bright. And yet I still miss it.

I'm no army man...but I understand the bond You make with you team members and the camaraderie... I was a firefighter for 13 years (untill I had to retire due to a back injurie), and you and your teammates share some sort of brotherhood that is impossible to break.... I remember back in the day that there was a guy I didn't like too much, but I wouldn't hesitate entering a building on fire if he was inside and couldn't get out....

I'm from a different a different era - Vietnam. I was glad to be back and I was a short timer. A two year enlistment with half it spent in country. I missed being needed, I missed having a definitive and important role, I missed having trusted friends and comrades. I didn't miss the 12 hour days humping up and down hills and jungle with hundred pound packs, weapons and ammunition. I didn't miss the filth and disease, the fatigue, and the killing. I went home and faced the uncertainty of unemployment and underemployment. I had my homies I enlisted with and one guy I was in country with in my crew. I was lucky in that. My best friend got out of prison about the time the rest of us came home, and there is a parallel with that. We worked it out. It wasn't easy.

I can appreciate the passion he puts into this, you can see him constantly choke and tear up. respect.

I’m not a veteran and I’ve never seen armed combat, but I was shocked to find myself relating very much to the feeling of coming home to a place where there is no one you feel you can trust, stripped of your brothers. Utterly alone in the worst way. It is terrifying and I’m glad a word exists for it: alienation. I’m so glad I listened to this talk. While I don’t have the experiences they do, I want to be a more knowledgeable and compassionate listener to veterans.

I’m a Vietnam combat veteran. The sounds and the smells was the glue that held our brotherhood together so closely. God how I miss them all.

it's the most human instinct. you become a tribe. your survival depends on the survival of the tribe.

As a former Marine, this is pretty accurate! I've been out for 9 years already but still miss it, I miss having someones back and someone having my back. I don't miss being shot at per say, it's not really that fun. Just a few weeks ago I was really struggling, I'm in this weird funk again, like something is missing. I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much in the civilian world. Being in the Marines I didn't have that problem, I felt important and had a job to do, coming home from deployments was rough, no one understood what I had gone through or what I had experienced, only my fellow Marines really knew the feeling of being in war. Just sucks, I battle inner demons about what am I really doing now? I have an average job with no real feeling of accomplishment. I love challenging myself which is one reason why I joined in the first place. Can't really go back into the military, getting older and not in near good enough shape to do so. Anyway, I think he did a great job of trying to explain what I'm still going through to this day, nicely done!

While at war, I hate the very essence of it. I questioned my very presence in Iraq. I couldn't wait to go home and just leave it behind. To me, it was all a waste of life, time, and money. Now, I miss it. I have spent now 10 years in the world beyond the uniform. In that decade, I often stated I missed that miserable experience. This guy points out what many in hindsight would consider is pure misery. War is a simplistic concept with complex experiences. Something I can't even put to words. Yet, I long for the very experience that no realm in the civilian world can mimic. Not only that, the bond that you create from that experience. My co-workers will never forge that connection that I forged with so many in war. It truly is hard to realize that nothing will be the same. That entire experience will never be emulated. War was both the most painful and most joyful experience at the same time for me, and I will never understand why. That's why I miss it.

Much respect bro, you get it. From a combat veteran.

This man's demeanor and eyes immediately let the viewer know that he experienced something very difficult

I'm glad he mentioned Homer's "The Iliad" because his description of it and Achilles' love for Patroclus was spot on and misunderstood by academics who do not understand the "bond" of conflict in groups.

The one thing that is tearing vets apart is family. I found a group of vets who we all just play video games together and check up on one another. When one has a bad day, we're there for each other. We realized together, we needed each other. We mourn losses for those still in, we mourn for those who lose loved ones here at home. We celebrate together for our successes. Semper Fi, and much love to all my brothers and sisters in all branches. Stay strong, and call or text a battle buddy if you need help. You're not alone. ♥️🇺🇸

He does a phenomenal job at explaining this and it’s a much needed thing for this mentality to be understood......by both Soldier and civilian alike. I’m a retired 20+ year vet, been in the Infantry and other “special” jobs, deployed 8 times and served 16 of my 20 years outside the US. So it makes you look back at what we have here in the US, how people moan, groan, grip and complain (a famous rant of a Marine instructor friend of mine).....and realize how awesome we truly have it. Like other have commented, when I was deployed, I missed home......when I was home, I actually missed being “there”....with my guys....in my own head......my safe space. I think more service men and women need to become social workers and go back and give back. It’s alll about having been there and understanding. Well done sir!

I've never been ashamed to say that I miss Iraq. The men I served with were the best. The decisions I made mattered. The consequences were immediate and measurable. I miss it. But....life moves on, and so must I.

Marine Vet here. I miss my time overseas. I went to Fallujah twice. There is a lot of boredom in war. The flipside is abundance of time spent with the guys. Men together, doing a job. Men working with men doing a job who are always together is something different. Yes, brotherhood. You get bombed together, you eat together. You get shot at together, you smoke together. You are bored together, you tell stories together. This bond is critical for an effective fighting unit. Without the bond, you won't be selfless and others will die. When you return home, it's all gone. For those who served, I encourage you to put down the bottle while you're in isolation or even better, all together. Get yourself a dog. My dog changed my life. I've also been sober for a year and that too changed my life. It helped me love myself again. But a dog...A dog helps you get outside yourself; out of your own self pity. Just like you were overseas, you were outside of yourself, fighting for a greater cause. The best companion is a dog and the best part is, you can train together. :)

I'm a civilian, but after hearing this, I can understand why someone misses being at war. It's probably something like having played a team sport in your past and finding an identity through that, but then no longer having that. Soldiers have a very demanding and intense job with life and death consequences. They depend on each other. There's a real sense of purpose. I don't judge any of your soldiers for feeling this way.

If PTSD was a person i would expect it to look exactly like this man. thank you for you service, Sir.

Brotherhood is different from friendship Brotherhood and purpose No man left behind

I remember I was on the freeway once. My friend was in the car and we were talking. Suddenly the car just turns left at about a eighty feet from us, perpendicular to the road. I've always been a crappy navigator and only a decent driver. If I had the time to predict myself, I thought I would panic and throw the wheel to the right, possibly getting us both killed. Instead, I felt my heart jump only a little, my vision sharpened, and broke slowly and turned to the right at just the needed angle to avoid colliding with other cars while avoiding the errant vehicle in front of me. I carefully corrected myself to the left to get back in lane, and made a joke about it. I had no time to even feel the fear. I just acted. And with more competence and control than I ever would have credited myself with. My friend said only minutes later that he felt better about me driving, seeing how he'd dealt with that situation, and I have no shame in admitted that I still feel proud of myself in that moment. If that three or four seconds of perfect clarity was anything like what these soldiers go through in combat, and the positive reinforcement of a friend's confidence...who can blame them for wanting more of it?

I was almost moved to tears more than once from watching this. I can definitely see why someone would miss that kind of brotherhood.

7:49 he dropped "What had happened was..." He's a true OG.

This guy did a great job articulating this. ..So true.

There is a nursing home in the U.K for British ex-servicemen primarily who served in WW2. The home is regimented to emulate a loose/accomadating barracks style of retirement and bring back the sense of service compatriotism in these men. So far it has had great results, emphasising the importance of military camaraderie.

There's definitely a bonding that goes beyond anything that I've experienced before or since! Over 40 years ago I was in a long range reconnaissance platoon and I can still see everyone's faces and I can hear their voices as if it was yesterday. Black white Hispanic we were brothers! Would I go back if I could? In a heartbeat! Recon 1/505

I am a Vietnam/Cambodia combat vet. 1, also, am 70 years old. I miss it still.

Wow, you've nailed it. As a, Combat Medic (medically retired), I remember I was almost floating just about 3 feet over my own head supervising myself and calling out threats and injuries along with the proper response/treatment in what felt like slow motion. taking casualties (solo) during fire-fights I can attest to the accuracy in the statements by Mr Junger.

One also misses the narrowing of reality. There's no past, no future, only the now. It's a reality that is stark and brutal, but in those moments you are more real than at any other time.

Brought me to tears 😭 Marines 2000-2011 Sgt O’Neil

Best TED talk I’ve ever seen. He speaks from passion, pain and experience. Thank you for sharing your story.

That poor veteran who took his own life on Facebook echoed similar things. He missed feeling like work was important, whereas civilian life seemed trivial--even if it wasn't in reality. Still, I wish some kind of solution would have been proposed in this talk.

They say that soldiers in many ways have more in common with their enemies than their friends and families and countrymen theyre fighting to defend

Thank you for your brutal honesty Sebastian and for sharing. We need more of it. This is how life threatening situations and close and critical teamwork really is, and shows the practical application between a small group action in relation to love of neighbour.

I rewatch this video periodically. Thank you for your work.

I was a civilian contractor working on a recovery team in Baghdad. We worked outside the wire escorted by M.P.s bringing back vehicles that couldn't make it back on their own due to either enemy fire, IEDs or just mechanical failure. We were shot at on a regular basis, had RPGs fired at us and even had a grenade dropped on us from a bridge once while working a truck that was hit. I miss the life. I miss the closeness, I miss the simplicity of it. No Bill's to pay, nothing to worry about but what is going to happen that day. My first time coming home I sat on the back porch drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette and it was so quiet you could hear the crackle of the cigarette when I took a draw. My hands started shaking because it was too quiet. There was no noise of any Humvees, trucks, generators or of course gunfire in the distance.

As a veteran I miss WAR , not the death not the destruction not the loss of inicence But the loss of being part of something greater then my self the commitment to ones who you served with to the nation that you believe in ...

Very impressive. Probably the best speech in war/conflict category. And things that Sebastian is talking about is what we continuously forget when we get bored of building peace. The peace isn’t a one single answer, peace is what we always remembering of.

The way he talks sounds like he is on the verge of tears. Much respect to you, sir.

PTSD is not a mental illness. It is a matter of trust and commitment left behind. We have spent a year or more in a traumatic situation far away from home. All we had was our brothers in arms as a family. The bond was like no other. When things went bad overseas you had no doubt that your military family would be there for you. Then we are dropped back home and there is a profound lack of trust and commitment in your civilian life. Close friends and relatives could not understand what you went through. Many gravitated away leaving us with a deep to the core emptiness. Marriages and relationships broke up. Your children were taken far away by their moms. We were thought of as crazy. Isolated and alone with our thoughts and horrible images. The VA did not know or equate PTSD with stress fatigue. So they put you in a locked ward for observation and feed us psychotropic drugs then sent us home. PTSD is not what happened over seas it is what happened when you got home. Dave Keough E-5 US Army Viet Nam 66-67

I am a Vietnam Vet 45 years removed from the war. When Sebastian was talking about the sand hitting him in the face I have relived this many times. Ambush sight along riverbank. It is the we hours of the morning. It is not my watch so I have completely covered my head with my poncho liner to stave off the mosquitos while I try to catch some sleep. No sound that I can remember but I peek out from under my poncho liner and the sand is exploding in small fountains mere inches from my face. To this day I can not remember hearing the gun fire that woke me only the sand exploding in front of me all in slow motion. And yes I would not want to go to war again but I do miss it. Never before or since have I ever felt as alive

Thank you everyone for your service!

Brilliant speech .. actual as ever .. thank you Sir

Two things struck me with this. First Junger really hits an important point about brotherhood, devotion, and trust. Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that those around you would die for you is a difficult benchmark to measure any civilian interaction. In a sense other relationships can seem hollow or false. Moreover after experiencing the brotherhood in war the domestic cut-throat back stabbing shallowness of politics, gossip, and manipulative relationships becomes intolerable. Upon returning from war, a Soldier can find they need to reassess a world they thought they knew and discover that it is broken. The second thing to hit me with this piece was the expressions and behavior of the audience. The shock shown by some is a good thing, it could turn into a glimmer of understanding. But the pity shown by many in the audience turns my stomach. It saddens me that even after hearing such an articulate speaker as Sebastian Junger in person, some people still don't get it. They completely miss the point, because they've decided to fixate on preconceptions of war taught to them by people with an incomplete understanding of it. Fantastic piece. The brotherhood is without a doubt a big part... So is the adrenaline and the "hunt" or the predatory satisfaction of seeking out those who would do you and your brothers harm.

My husband has frequently stated that he would like to deploy again and how he misses being deployed. I would ask why he would rather be over there then at home with his family. While deployed he amd a few others were involved in a horrific incident. They lost one of their "brothers". The ones that survived were in ICU for 21 says and chose to return to their unit. All because of brotherhood. I may not understand everything, but I do understand the 'brotherhood ' concept. I just tend to forget. Thank you for the reminder of why war is missed.

Incredibly courageous TED Talk. I was so moved by what Mr. Junger talked about and I gained just a small bit of understanding about what a person goes through in combat and now know that I clearly do not understand at all the sacrifice of these men and women. I do have a bit of understanding about what it is like to feel disconnected from all of those around you in the "normal" world where it appears that no one would sacrifice a moment for you never mind give up their own life for you. This is clearly something that needs to be studied because too many soldiers are coming home only to be cast aside by those who should be sacrificing to help them feel whole.

That's why family is important.

I supported JTACs in Afghanistan, during our deployment a few of them got hurt (none of them terribly badly fortunately) and got sent to hospitals. Without fail, they would sneak out of their beds, find the one secure phone in the hospital and start coordinating air support for their teams from that phone. They would always call my number because it was the easiest one to remember (it ended with 1234), and I'd connect them with whoever they needed to talk to. It was incredible to see the dedication they had to their teams, even if I only saw it second hand.

One thing about war is your brothers, it doesn't matter where he came from or the color of his skin. He is your brother and I'd die for every single one of those magnificent bastards. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he he who sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother.

You speak truth. I am an USMC 1833 Who fought with ACo 1/7....it's been almost 20 years and I tell you not a single day has gone by that I don't think of them.

Seen this a thousand times. He hit the nail on the head. I like to remind myself why i "really" miss it. I was deployed with the british army the same time as Sebastian, 2007/2008. In Musa qala. Was mental. Loved it.

I feel everything he said and could not have explained it any better. Every time I’m asked why I miss it, I point people to this video. It’s about the willingness to give up your life for the man next to you and knowing that it’s reciprocated with no questions asked.