Just returned from two weeks in the field. Nothing like sleeping in the rain, and eating nothing but bean stew and MRE's to make you appreciate what you have. It was interesting, and educational. It showed me how strong I really am, which was both empowering and humbling. I tend to turn misery into humor, and as such can push myself to the extreme and still crack a joke. To those who understand my intention I am inspirational, but to those who do not and cannot appreciate the physical and mental riggers of training, I tend to appear... well, insane. I suppose I am a little crazy for doing the things that I do, but I also feel that those individuals who avoid struggle, who seek out safety and comfort, who say that they couldn't do those things a soldier must, I feel a sense of pity for them. None of them will ever know what it is like to rise before the morning sun and stand waiting with a hundred or so pounds of gear on your back, for a truck to whisk you away to some unknown location, to do some unknown task, in the darkness of night, for the safety and well being of others. I'm no hero, and I don't think that I am better than anyone, but I do know what I am capable of, and that, in itself, is a significant thing.