Chase Stokes 17 November 2013 How History has affected me September 11th 2001 is the darkest day for

modern American history. t has affected more peop!e across o"r #reat nation than any other attack. $any innocent civi!ian !ives were !ost on that day% b"t their !ives were not !ost in vein. &he 'nited States of America has never to!erated an act of terrorism% especia!!y on o"r own soi!. $y father (evin Stokes en!isted in the 'nited States Army short!y after September 11th. He went to o"r town)s !oca! recr"itin# station and made the decision to en!ist to serve and defend his co"ntry. *f co"rse d"rin# this time the process of bein# accepted into the mi!itary was sped "p tremendo"s!y. Soon after he si#ned and fina!i+ed a!! the necessary paper work to ,oin the army he was shipped off to boot camp. -i#ht after boot camp he was sent to A & to become a .ie!d Combat $edic% and a!so a physica! therapist tech. /"rin# wartime s"ch as this there was near!y no time for him to take !eave and come home to see fami!y before he was shipped off to So"th (orea for a year. $y dad was very fort"nate not to be dep!oyed to ra0 ri#ht after he finished his A & trainin#. 1ven (orea was a hectic p!ace to be at the time d"e to everythin# #oin# on in the $idd!e 1ast. His ,ob was to serve as a medic to his "nit2 they made severa! trips to the /$3 d"rin# his time there. His recr"iter to!d him that he wasn)t #oin# to see a combat +one for at !east three years once he en!isted. He was reminded of this statement every time he went o"t into the fie!d% no more than nine months after makin# his decision to en!ist. .ina!!y his year in (orea was "p on!y to #et orders to #o strait to ra0 for another year. He was ab!e to come home for three weeks before bein# shipped off a#ain. &his made thin#s very hard for my fami!y. Not havin# a

dad aro"nd very m"ch% a!most to the point that if didn)t have a pict"re of him on my own do# ta#s mi#ht not have even reco#ni+ed him if he was to wa!k past me on the street.

$y dad en!isted when was on!y in first #rade% don)t even think my brain rea!!y knew how to process a!! the thin#s #oin# on at the time. knew that my mom was sad a!! the time and that wo"!d ta!k on the phone with my dad from time to time from first thro"#h forth #rade. After dad was fina!!y home from servin# a year in ra0% on!y somethin# was different abo"t him now. was yo"n#% b"t wasn)t st"pid. co"!d hear my dad wakin# "p in the midd!e of the ni#ht screamin#. heard my parents ar#"in# and ye!!in# abo"t him needin# to #et he!p% didn)t know what a!! of this meant at the time b"t know now that my dad had s"ffered from 4&S/ for severa! years after his dep!oyment to ra0. *ne afternoon wa!ked into my parent)s room to find my dad a!one watchin# a s!ideshow of pict"res. He sat me down and said% 5don)t te!! yo"r mom% b"t yo" can watch if yo" want6. t was pict"res of dead ra0i so!diers% civi!ians% bodies b"rnt to a crisp% !itt!e kids b!own to pieces% and many pict"res that a e!even year o!d kid or a person of any a#e sho"!d never have to see. 7"t for some reason it never affected me% it #ave me a honest !ook into my f"t"re. $y dad was home for abo"t two months and was then stationed in Co!orado Sprin#s% Co!orado. 8ith a!! of his dep!oyments and d"ty stations my mom and stayed in o"r hometown 9awton% *k!ahoma. $y parents made that decision so that co"!d ,"st stay in the same schoo! "nti! dad #ot a so!id three:year d"ty station. /ad finished his year in Co!orado and as a fami!y we moved to 8est 4oint% New ;ork for the ne<t three years. t was stran#e to me at first% it was a!most as if didn)t know my dad at a!!. t took me a !on# time before was rea!!y open and comfortab!e. don)t rea!!y know why% #"ess wasn)t rea!!y s"re if he wo"!d even !ike me. &wo

years past and everythin# was #reat% and then dad #ot orders to ra0 for a second time. &his time he was to #o on a $ & team. He was #one for another year% on!y this time it was m"ch different. &echno!o#y was so m"ch better2 we were ab!e to Skype with him a!most once a week and phone ca!!s were a !ot more fre0"ent. /ad came home b"t there was no 4&S/ after this dep!oyment% on!y thin# know for s"re is anytime a so!dier comes home from war they a!! c"rse !ike sai!ors. He was home for fo"r months and my parents picked St"tt#art% =ermany for dad)s ne<t d"ty assi#nment. &hey have a!ways wanted to #o to 1"rope to visit on!y they #ot a three:year visit instead. &he #reat thin# abo"t this d"ty station was dad didn)t #et dep!oyed2 we #ot to stay to#ether and fina!!y #et to know each other a#ain. 8e were ab!e to trave! a!! over as a fami!y for the first time. /"rin# o"r !ast year in =ermany dad was se!ected for the S=& A"die $"rphy C!"b. He went thro"#h severa! boards and tests b"t in the end he was ind"cted in 2012. *"r time in =ermany f!ew by2 we were there for my freshman to ,"nior year of hi#h schoo!. $y parents knew that 1"rope was #reat b"t it was time to be back in the '.S. $y dad has a!ways had a dream to be a 4hysica! &herapy instr"ctor for the Army. /reams rea!!y do come tr"e when he fo"nd o"t that he had been se!ected to be a 4& instr"ctor in San Antonio% &e<as. $y parents have been in San Antonio for a !itt!e over a year now and they co"!dn)t be happier. /ad !oves his ,ob and my parents have time to reconnect witho"t a kid r"nnin# aro"nd the ho"se A(A me. #o to San Antonio as often as can% !ast time was there to visit to!d my dad abo"t the paper am now writin#. He opened "p to me abo"t many of the thin#s that happened to him d"rin# his dep!oyments. ts hard for vets or even c"rrent service members to share war stories sometimes. $y dad was fina!!y ab!e to open "p to me and te!! me that he s"ffered from 4&S/ and that he had been b!own "p by three different 1/)s d"rin# his dep!oyments. At this time the paper work for him to receive his 4"rp!e Heart is bein# reviewed.

a!so took a !ook at my dads "niform% he has twe!ve ribbons and two si!ver stars a!on# with his A"die $"rphy meta!. $y dad is now an 1:7 and has two ranks !eft to #et% and nine years before retirement. t)s a!most a fami!y tradition to serve as a ma!e in the mi!itary. ,oined >-*&C in hi#h schoo! and am c"rrent!y a -*&C cadet here at *S'. After hearin# his stories as we sat at the tab!e ta!kin# fo"nd myse!f in tears. His stories hit me rea!!y hard. &he time that didn)t have my dad at home he was dep!oyed servin# his co"ntry and p"ttin# his !ife on the !ine day after day to ens"re o"r nations freedom. cannot wait to serve my co"nty as my father has over the !ast e!even years. He is my inspiration% my motivation and my hero.