Steven a combat medic in the US Army is deployed to Afghanistan for a year; he leaves behind his girlfriend of three years, Olivia. He has challenges throughout his deployment that he has to learn to overcome. 

What he doesn't know is that he will have challenges when he gets home aswell. "Today I learned that I will be deployed off to the deadly blood covered country of Afghanistan my girlfriend of three years, Olivia was very sullen about it; considering that I’ll be gone for a year...or quite possibly forever."

Today I learned that I will be deployed off to the deadly blood covered country of Afghanistan my girlfriend of three years, Olivia was very sullen about it; considering that I’ll be gone for a year...or quite possibly forever. I’ll miss her comforting voice and the goofy things she says to me to try to pick me up when I’m down, or those giant ocean blue eyes with her long flowy auburn hair. Even the agile way she walks.  Next week is when I will board on to the plane to ship me off to the Middle East. I’ve heard from soldiers that have been there before that Afghanistan is the worst place to be deployed due to the lack of supplies and men. I’ve been trying to talk to Olivia as much as I can before I leave, but this whole ordeal is still precarious to her. Being a combat medic in the Army is pretty intense because a human being’s life is resting in your hands at all times.

I’m packing my things from my Fort Benning locker. I’ve been training here in Georgia for months. I’d just sit here on this bench in front of my locker thinking about everything imaginable, mostly my father. Dad was killed in the war mom couldn’t take the pain of a lost husband and decided to take her own life. Therefore, my older brother and sister  Bradley, Rachel, and I were put into an orphanage in California where we grew up. Bradley, who was fifteen at the time, was adopted by the Billings family. Rachel (who was twelve) and I (who was six) were adopted by the Smith’s. I’ve been ready physically but not mentally for deployment for a long time. I just don’t know if I’m ready for another separation in my life.

I got off the plane at four in the morning and was put on a Navy ship that took us the rest of the way. I’m here in Afghanistan, and I just unpacked everything. Once I got on the plane a few days ago, I realized I didn’t have my father’s dog tags around my neck, I was reluctant to give up the only thing I had left of my father’s memory. I even engraved Olivia’s name on my fathers tags. I automatically went into panic mode and searched everywhere; I finally found them in my locker of course. Olivia always tells me I’m accident prone or unorganized. Let’s just hope I come back in one piece because it’s time for me to work for the first time in Afghanistan.

I’ve tried to talk to Olivia as much as I can, but I don’t have a phone or computer; I have this thing called a personal operating device (P.O.D.) it is basically a giant tablet. No camera and no mic. I understand it’s hard for her, but I really can’t do anything about it. Today I was running around the frontline looking for men I could help; I found one man shot in the shoulder, his name was Peterson, he must have been there for a while because he was lying in a giant pool of blood. It was imminent that he would bleed out, so I picked him up and ran to the camp and fixed up his wound. He told me he seriously thought I was an angel while running to him with the sun setting behind me, he said he could have sworn he saw wings on me. Ever since Peterson told me that story, everyone has been calling me Wings. Tomorrow is my first day going out to fight instead of stayinghere and just fixing the wounded. My thinking of infallibility is so great right now that I’ve just been sitting here for an hour thinking about if I don’t come home. I’ve been talking to Olivia, but I only really have time to talk to her when I’m supposed to be sleeping or when it’s time to eat. I’m starving and I’ve drank all my energy drinks, so I better get some food and go to bed.

Well, instead of being the medic, I’m the patient today. This morning I went out to fight and a mortar (rocket) exploded in front of me. I got metal shrapnel head to toe. Along with a rocket exploding in my face I got shot in the shin. Eduardo, the other medic, was able to get the bullet out of me. I’ve been working all day on trying to get the rest of the shrapnel out. There’s one piece I can’t reach that’s too far in my chest to get out. I’ll just do it later. Of course, when I tell Olivia, she will freak out and tell me to have someone else get it out. I don’t know how I feel about another man touching my chest though...anyway I’m getting homesick and wanting to go back to America for many reasons; I miss my niece Lexi and my sister Rachel, and of course my wimp of a German Shepherd, Rex.

I found out I’m blighted with lead poisoning from the bullet wound to my shin. I feel useless, I hurt my back trying to stand up too fast and now I can’t do anything. Not to mention that our fort is beleaguered by Afghan soldiers. Not too long ago a sniper was camping outside the fort, and when our men would walk out, he’d shoot. He shot one of our men in the stomach, pretty bad sniper if you ask me. We disarmed him, and well...let’s just say that’s the last shot that sniper would ever take. At times, I wish I was deployed to Korea. They have more men and more supplies the thing I covet most though is them being able to Skype and talk to their loved ones at home. We don’t have that here. We have low supplies and low men. Both are dwindling too quickly to have a functional army. Olivia hasn’t been talking to me or reading my messages. I have to keep telling myself to stay calm and that she’s probably out with friends having a great time.

I finally get to go home! I’m so excited to see Olivia, Rachel, Lexi, and Rex! I’ve boarded the plane in 1 piece just like I promised Olivia. I’m so happy to go home I can’t wait to see my family’s face when I get off the plane. When I get off I’m probably going see Rachel and Lexi in Georgia with Olivia along, then take Olivia to Arizona to see her family. I need to finish packing so I can get on the plane in time. I still haven’t heard from Olivia. I can’t come up with a reasonable explanation for her to be gone for 8 months. I’d hate to think that she got tired of me or left me. But this just doesn't seem right to me.

I found out that Olivia died in a horrible car accident while driving to her friends house. The road was very wet and it was pouring rain, she swerved off the road and into the ditch rolling the car 3 times into a barbed wire fence. I took Lexi to the movies and Rachel to the mall and went out to eat. I didn’t know the news at the moment. Rachel told me once we got home. She thought she shouldn’t have told me while I was in Afghanistan because I was surrounded by death and easy ways to take my own life.What she doesn’t know is that I can just as easily take my life here just as I can in Afghanistan...