He cleared his throat, banishing the emotion that had been plain when he mentioned his divorce. “As we usually do, we’ll go around the room and ask you to introduce yourselves. Tell where you served, what branch you served in, and where you live. This is a support group, so we hope you’ll make some friends from your area. For those of you who are new to this group, you’ll find it’ll get easier to talk about things you’re going through. We ask that you don’t share information you hear in this group with anyone outside the group. It’s important for all of us to build trust with each other. This group is full of people who know what war is like, and the devastating impact it can have on us. We want you to be comfortable enough to share your shit with your comrades. Any questions?”
Joe looked around the room, and no one raised a hand. “Okay then, let’s start up here on my right.”
One after the other, each man stood and turned to look at the nearly fifty others in the room. They introduced themselves, told where they’d served, and where they now lived. There were men from all branches of the service, and a variety of conflicts, with Iraq and Afghanistan overrepresented in numbers.
Rob heard several men say they were from Ridgeview, but he had difficulty remembering their names or the details they’d shared.
When it was his turn, he stood up and faced the group, looking around at the sea of faces. He took a deep breath. “I’m Rob Michelini, and I’m a Marine. They deployed me both to Iraq and Afghanistan, and recently, I received a medical discharge. I live in Ridgeview. I suffer from PTSD, but I’m committed to my recovery because I’ve met someone, and she deserves a man who is whole.”
He saw several people nod. This must be a familiar story. He sat down, feeling relieved. He’d taken the first step.
They worked their way around the room until everyone had taken part.
“Does anyone have anything they want to work on tonight,” Joe asked the group. Three hands went up. “Jim, why don’t you go first, then Mick, and then Andrew.”
The man named Jim stood and told about bouts of anger he struggled with. “I’ve got two teenage boys, and I know I need to have patience with them, but when they cop an attitude with me, I see red. I just want to throttle them. I’m worried I might act on it and hurt them.”
“Has anybody else faced that issue? If so, how have you handled it?” asked Joe.
Several men spoke up. “When I feel myself losing it, I leave,” said one man.
“Usually I drive around for a few hours, or go someplace where I can get my shit together,” said another.
“I’ve given discipline over to my wife. I don’t trust myself to discipline my kids yet.”
The men who’d had this same problem all talked about needing to take a break so they didn’t overreact.
“I know they’re just kids. I keep reminding myself of it until I’m able to talk myself down. My wife can see it building, so she sends my son to his room. It’s like we both need to go to neutral corners until we can calm down.”
“The important thing is to get back together and talk it out when you’re both calm. I learned that you can’t resolve conflict when you’re angry. Sometimes you need to take a time-out from each other, but then you need to get back together and resolve whatever caused the conflict. I learned that from my folks. My dad explained to me that’s how they stayed happily married for so many years.”
Rob listened with interest as the men involved in the discussion problem-solved and shared ideas with each other. At least his situation didn’t seem as complicated and didn’t involve kids.
After an hour, the group took a break, and several of the members stood near the coffee urn and talked about their own situations. Rob stood, ill at ease, listening, but not saying much.
A man of about thirty approached him and introduced himself. “I’m Tyler Mathews. I’m also a Marine and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard you say you’re in Ridgeview. Me, too. I have a horse farm out in the county.”
“Really? I’ve moved here from Colorado. I worked on my parents’ ranch out there and want to get involved in doing that again, but I’m still getting the lay of the land around here.”
“I’d be happy to have you come out and see my place sometime.”
“That sounds great. I’d appreciate that. It’d be nice to be around horses again.” They exchanged numbers, and Rob promised to call him later in the week.
Just before the break was over, Rob’s phone blared with the alarm from their security system. Somebody had breached the fence. He peered at the small screen and saw a dark-clad figure in a ski mask heading for the house.
“That’s my alarm system,” he told Tyler. “I’ve got to go.”
Tyler encouraged him to take off and promised they’d get together soon.
Rob sprinted to his truck in the parking lot and called MJ’s brother as soon as he’d climbed into the cab. “Nick, is MJ with you?” he asked as soon as Nick answered.
“No, she wanted to go home and relax. I figured with the alarm system, she’d be fine.”
“The alarm just triggered, and somebody breached the fence. It looks like he means business. He’s wearing a ski mask. I’m still in
