My safe place was war. Now it’s here in the woods with good cannabis and better conversation. Staring at the bush all I wanted was to leap into it and be surrounded by the leaves and branches. I know it’s a place that I could be alone, a place most people wouldn’t want to go. I could just sleep there and know that I was safe. If I had my Battle Rattle (full combat gear worn by a soldier) on from when I was an Infantryman I’d have already leapt into the bush. I miss the comfortable confidence that came with being in full kit surrounded by my brothers and knowing I can go anywhere and do anything. This bush was Afghanistan. It was the place that only those brothers in arms would be. So I stare and daydream about leaping into it. But I don’t. I’m snapped back to the real world and continue to rake the ground around the bush. I will light a joint, take a dab and go for a walk.
Collin Wells
Colin Wells is an Army Infantry Veteran and served 4 years, including a 13 month tour in Afghanistan from July 2009 – August 2010. As a child he was a voice actor on Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs, where he played “Colin” a character based on himself. He also created and produced the documentary “Laughter Under Fire: An Open Invitation into the Mind of a Combat Veteran.”
Laughterunderfire.org