Also, his dad telling me to just talk to him tomorrow kinda makes me think this has happened before, but behind closed doors. I just can't help but feel responsible. We shouldn't have been talking about the military at all.

Nah

If you avoid it. It can be just as bad

@Fe4r_incarnate dude if he was talking it's fine. He was talkin. If he didnt wanna talk hed have said so.

@Hellhound6 that too

It's one of those things where as long as you're there when they open up

Don't coddle him, but listen

Its a balance, but you'll get it. And it does seem like you show genuine concern for him. He's lucky to have you on his side

Agreed

Directly confronting him about what happend and just tryna be there for him.

I only came here because I know its a chat he isn't in, I don't want him to know I talked about it but I just genuinely have no idea how to handle this. His dad seemed to completely understand my other friend and I, but his step mom seemed mad at us... she was also a little drunk... its just weird. Never experienced that before... my brother has ptsd from his 2 tours in iraq but its a lot different for him. Its less emotional, more just brain damage. Like he forgets shit all the time and stuff. I have never seen one of my close friends break down like this.

@Fe4r_incarnate it will be ok man.

Find a way to destress enough to sleep, and approach problem tomorrow.

Well thanks for the advice guys... if theres anything else just @ me please.. I don't know how to handle this

We've got you man

Yeah, we look out for our own, same as you do

Final question, would it be bad if i messaged one of his parents to apologize to them, and explain that I had no idea? Because I don't want them to think I don't care about their son or that I somehow purposely set him off?

Id just go to homie first

@Fe4r_incarnate fuck the parents, just talk to him.

Let it breathe till tomorrow homie. Then talk to your boy

Nah, this about him, not the family. Real talk, most families just try to hide it and act Like everything is ok

Okay.. i just hope his stepmom doesn't hate me now lol

@Fe4r_incarnate stop worrying about what the parents think. You're not engaged to em, itll be ok. Destress. Seriously. If you can, add that to a list of things to work on. Active destressing. A little off subject but it helps in situations like this because you can think clearer if you arent having a mild panic reaction.

^

So hes all good, and my other buddy and I told him that we both are there for him no matter what goes down, and hes gonna come open his christmas presents from us tonight

@Fe4r_incarnate nice

Glad to hear it

these r not war storoes ... hes taking it pretty good by the sound of it ... war isnt pretty

https://youtu.be/LA3uV_YXZAk

Once upon a time I was in Afghanistan in the Army. We were on a patrol and were called over the radio. They needed QRF to go to an adjacent village and assist the local populace with a societal disturbance. We show up and they are actively pouring gas on this chick, gonna burn her to death because the wind blew her burqa off her head. We move to step in, Afghan police stop us. Tells us its the law. She was betrothed to the villiage imam and now she is unpure.

So we sit and watch them burn her to death, and throw rocks at her. It was fucked.

Still think of how many ragheads i shoulda shot over that, but I'm glad I didn't in the end

@Ramrod1992 typical 3rd world village shit

Someone should do the patriot wave thing to this pic and meme it

Real boogaloo is the friends made along the way

Buddy of mine found a couple pics on an old hard drive from my first deployment in 2005

which ones is u man

I'm holding the PKM in the top, and sitting on the steps on the botton

Ur a legend