All Comments on 'A Soldier's Suffering'

"It was just that one time. It hadn't been an affair" Then why did she marry him? I think there is a special place in hell for writers who portay wounded warrior sevicemen as swimps. Shame on you!

I had to stop reading it because wether one time or 50, she’s still a cheater and an adulterous whore. Five ⭐️s!

I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

Maggie will cheat again, it is in her nature. Kurt will have much more pain to go through.

And having never been in battle, I'm not one to comment on PTSD; but it seems odd that having made the decision to live, he would be discovered getting laid and automatically try to commit suicide.

That seems like bullshit.

You said it is a continuation of "Anytime I hear that Song" but you have written no such story. I guess you mean "Every time I hear that song". Or does it mean you have continued somebody else's tale which bore that exact title?

But you did a good job of describing it. One can feel the pain. For whatever it's worth, someone with Kurt's disability would receive $3000 a month tax free as a single person. The amount increases with marriage and children. I'm a sucker for happy endings, but he easily have been successful in his suicide attempt. 5 🌟.

...when I start to tear up often. Now, I gotta get something besides my shirt sleeve! Well written and, you brought us (me) into many of the turmoils and battles of the mind for the protagonist. I myself felt like I was there in the bushes. I know many of us have the: "I'd blow them all away"...belief. But you made it more real.

In example - a son and then his father...exactly right....we forget that even though we disagree (and must necessarily (a topic for debate - I'm sure) be at war. They are sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. But - I digress.

Your story was riveting and thought provoking; I hope even enlightening! I hope to see more like this - thank you for both your insight (from wherever it originates) and the time you spent. I can only give 5-stars.

It's nice to read a story where it's understood how much cheating goes on in the military, instead of treating it like a bizarre occurrence. It's the happy endings that are rare. This soldier thanks you.

It's "past" not "passed". Let's get past this. Use a dictionary instead of spell check.

It's "They're or they are" not "there."

I had some grammatical and spelling problems that your proof-reader failed to notice. I gave it 4* because I still enjoyed it and felt it was a good story.

Here are my four minor issues.

1) Any combat veteran who ever used one knows that it is a suppressor not a silencer. It is ingrained in you every bit as much as referring to a magazine rather than a clip.

2) You repeatedly refer to getting "passed" an issue rather than "past".

3) "Maggie and My" would be correct. "Maggie and I's" would be incorrect.

4) They would rappel out of a helicopter, not repel.

The one single major issue is one I have dealt with in my life because I have relatives in every branch of the service and when we get together with people who never served, any Marine is quick to point out that they are always referred to as "Marines" not "soldiers". The army has soldiers, and even a groggy paraplegic Marine veteran waking up from a drug induced coma in a strange hospital room while being given a comforting/stimulating sponge bath by a hot nurse with soft hands would still have been quick to correct her when she called him "soldier".

They would be absolutely livid if you wrote the story of their experiences and titled it "A Soldier's Suffering".

This was a great story of a wounded warrior, until the happy ending. I don't hate it, but it just doesn't feel right for this one. I do like happy endings, so still rate the story with that ending highly.

Thanks for sharing with us!

Rnebular

Not to nit pick, but we all carried a speed tourniquet in the right calf pocket in Afghanistan. They are a Velcro strap with a twisty stick to tighten. Personal first aid issued to everyone had two. Guys going into shoot'em up situations should have one in right calf pocket and the other in the first Aid pouch Attached to body armour. No need to use belt until so are gone.

It could've been a decent situation, but there seemed to be two different Maggie's, one who made a terrible one-time mistake that would never be repeated, and one who made a decision, had sex with and fell in love with Dillon.

It should be almost impossible to get back with the Maggie who had an affair with and then actually married Dillon. That one never truly loved him, DID love Dillon and would still be with Dillon, if Dillon had not cheated. If the incident of Dillon's cheating made him unlovable to her, how could she (if she had truly grown) expect to go back to Kurt (to be fair to the writer, Maggie does sort of indicate this, but only after his suicide attempt).

Still, despite that odd dichotomy in one character, it was very readable.

him dealing with PTSD, I get. The way the family and friends kept pushing the ex on him I dont get. If I were them, I would blame her for him becoming a JARHEAD.

3.5 stars

PTSD is not the only crutch or burden some bear, TK U MLJ LV NV

In American English are the words, "past" and "passed" totally interchangeable? This is not the case with UK English but I have noticed many of the stories on here use what I consider to be the wrong word for the context it is presented in.

Liked the story though...

I know there are the RAAC people out there, but as one that has been down that road, love can overcome everything but a lack of trust. Lack of trust is the atom bomb in a relationship. Those that think they overcome it merely substitute need.

It was a wonderfully written story, and it is a fantasy site, so I will have to allow the fantasy that trust blown up can somehow be rebuilt.

I love happy endings, too. This wasn't one. The loyal servicemen pushed back with the mercenary bitch who betrayed him to marry another. Shame.

Damn that was depressing. Kurt married a slut, had his heart broken, then got his legs blown off.

God really hated that poor bastard...

I have a couple of problems with your characters. I understand that he was devastated by what his wife had done or was doing. If he moved on later, then he moved on. Nothing like finding your true place in life to settle your anxiety. Until the PTSD, then it all came back. Again a but, his parents should have taken his side, this crap of pushing the cause of all of his anxiety at him constantly surely didn't help his emotional problems. The only character in the story who had anything going for them was Alexis and she was a fast and loose college girl who shouldn't have had his best interests at heart even more than his parents did. As for Maggie, she lied then, she's lying now. If it was just "a one and done" then why did she marry the guy. Why did she expect a cheater to stay faithful to her? Why should our Marine expect her to stay faithful to him? I doesn't seem to be in her nature or at least one of her natures, lot of different Maggies are in play here. Like I said, I thought it was well written and I thank you for sharing your story with us.

im guessing u meant Every Time I Hear That Song? unless theres anytime i hear that song somewhere on this website

Great effort over a very painful and difficult issue in the life of many veterans. Being young and full of life and belonging to a strong brotherhood when you go to war and return home alone, and crippled physically and mentally. A warrior in the body of a crippled. Terrible situation. Life does not give happy endings, and trustfully what a happy end is, depends on the person. I believe in real life Kurt's life probably ended somewhere in between both ends. He can count on his friend until he gets married, he can count on his parents until they die, but sadly he cannot count on Maggie, she has not strong enough backbone or enough malice to stay true. Sad story but very real, how many young men return home crippled with a full life ahead of them.

I take issue with those who knee-jerk reactions about cheating spouses with members of the military. My experience when I served, was that military wives were cheated often, as did their husbands. The reality was, wives most often cheated with other soldiers. That was my reality.

It usually ended badly, but although adultery is technically a crime in the military, it was rarely prosecuted.

Happy endings were not the norm. I liked this story.

No, it should be 'past', even in a language as corrupted as American English. I don't know about the Aussies though . . . maybe they accept it.

Come to think of it though, in America football, quarterbacks pass the ball all the time . . . so maybe if somebody wants to get 'passed' something, the writer is indicating that they want to 'carry the ball' for a while (i.e. take responsibility). I fear, however, it's more likely a grammatical problem.

Hopefully they'll get passed that before I'm found past out on the floor due to lack proper grammar (which can be sort of like oxygen to a reader). Hopefully I won't have past gas in the past minutes in which I past out (as I admit I may have done in the passed).

I recognize that there are some errors as commentators have pointed out, but this is a good story - credible dialogue and good character development .

of "passed" when "'past" is correct takes this from a 5 down to average.

I could only make it thru the first few paragraphs. So maybe I'm wrong. But I hope this guy isn't representative of our military.

It is a good story, it really is. But you choose to fuck up his life in this new chapter, and once that was obvious that he is still thinking about Maggie in the first page, it was also obvious what will come next, if anything im going to say that you take a page on Matt Moreu playbook on which the MC must always end with the woman who screw his life at the beggining (Nothing personal to Maggie, she is not the class of delusional slut that MM like to wrotte)

You say that this story can be stand alone, thats the mayor mistake in the story (beyond of having the two ends, because you cannot decide wich one you like more or works better for the story). In the past one we see that both open themselves and finally let go their failed marriage, they forgive each other and move on, that was good. Now all that its lost here, no In this we dont see Maggie fighting not for his love, but figthing to be the person that will help him to overcome his now fractured life, nop, she cries, she is hurt, she is sorry, but never see her ready to commit his life to and for him.

The depiction of his struggle with the PTSD, survivor guilt and his handicaps are good... right until suddenly he needs Maggie to live and heal again. Oh well at least its a well written story.

Look up past

And rappel

Kills the story

Flak jackets were worn in vietnam. Today, soldiers and marines wear body armor. Thinking of his brothers in arms is so cliche. Could not go past those two.

You had Maggie marrying the seducer , then years later she is divorced and want her damaged husband back. So he forgives her. They Remarry and have a family. His best friend winds up with Alexis . This is the way you wrote it. Can this happen.? Not likely. But nice story.

Kurt was starting to build a new life. He did not do anything wrong by being with Alexis. Maggie walking in on them and being hurt got her to fully understand the pain she cause.

It would have been a better ending if Alexis had stayed with Kurt and kept him from the suicide attempt. He should have gotten to build his new life with a new woman and not the one that cheated on him.

I enjoyed the tale

Many others have pointed out spelling, and word usage, so I will just say that I enjoyed your stories. I was not badly wounded as Kirk was, but I did have problems after discharge. My problem was extreme anger and agression. I didn't need much excuse to fight. A friend, a random stranger, anyone. I had a lot of fights, got in some trouble before I looked for help. The VA and nursing school saved me. I'm still on some medication, but have good control of that temper. I appreciate your story and await the next one.

...are in the army. Marines are in the marines.

I don't care about the grammar or any of the b.s. the others are complaining about. I do like the fact that you brought out the fact of 22 vets dying daily and that its not necessary. There's help out there for them and they can be a viable part of society.

Thank you for doing that.

some of these people think they are professional critics, its all bullshit, this was a good story, first you said you didnt know know much about the armed forces, I still got what you were saying. Unless your a total moron , this story is very understandable. If you dont like my words too fucking bad. sometimes you read a story and its a story, and a good story. so back the fuck up people. I haven't seen any of there stories. I gave you 5 stars . And my name is on here too.

If the guy Maggie cheated with then married had just been a run of the mill average husband she would be having his children, and Kurt would just be a distant pathetic cripple. And why would a Marine not fuck up the guy that fucked up his marriage? And Alexis just likes to fuck guys she hardly knows? And if Dave and Alexis are man and wife, why didn't they hook up earlier while Kurt was in the Marines?

Too many inconsistencies and improbabilities for one story to absorb. It was a great plot idea, but died of excessive manipulation and character morphing. So Kurt fed Maggie some of her own medicine, and that made him want to kill himself? What a fucking stupid coward.

And of course, everyone lived happily ever after. Makes perfect sense.

Are you insulting your own protagonist? A marine is a MARINE! Not one those army guys, come on!

KenL511

I hate RAAC!

She had already proved herself unworthy of him.

She's just lonely.

Like she'll never cheat on him after his injuries?

I looked passed your error and passed you. ha ha. Still gave you a 5 for an excellent story.

A good story with some real life thinking involved. I for one have seen couples get back together after one cheats and make it work. It is rare but it does happen. I liked your first part of this tale too but did not vote on it for 2 reasons. 1) I only found it today. 2) You had Kurt go to Ann's and did not get the chicken fried steak. An unforgivable offense. (joking)

It was good story-telling. Yes, there were a few editing problems, and not enough research went into the military aspects; those are correctable problems. But, had this been published in the Romance section, the two sections together would have scored over 4.5.

Let’s face it: no story which ends with a reconciliation is going to score well in LW. This wasn’t a RAAC, but one which was hard to reach, two high school sweethearts having taken a rough road.

Not much sex but a good read!

I was still skeptical about Maggie since she married the guy she cheated with. That was a major flaw. Otherwise it was a great story and handled with sensitivity. I was in the Air Force but both my brothers were marines. Thank you.

Reconciliations are not my favorites because most of the time they are forced into the story, either as a plan by the author that is under-supported or to spite a group of readers. However, once in awhile an author understands that the characters have to, though flawed, be someone that the reader can emphasize with. I think you did a great job at creating characters who the reader could cheer for and get mad at at the same time. Perhaps it was good that Maggie walked in on them it gave her a necessary perspective and the ability to empathize with his pain. I appreciate you taking the time to make this a viable reconciliation story.

I think you should have continued the story without the “stop now” clause. Most of the readers who you were counting on stopping there would assume were the story was going to go, read it anyway, and flail away at you in the comment section anyway.

I don't buy Maggie's claims of undying love for Kurt; and hence, don't buy the reconciliation. Maggie tries to minimize her cheating by characterizing the man she cheated with as just a "guy... we knew from high school." If it was as casual, unintended and meaningless as she suggested, then why did she marry the guy, and why did she stay married to him for 2 years before he cheated? (And, had he not cheated, would she still be married to him?) Well written story, but I don't buy her character and don't believe the reconciliation. --JRZ

It’s past not passed! For Gods sake get an editor!

A real writer does the necessary research to KNOW what they are writing about. I think you missed the mark as far as a true marine mindset and just decided to wing it with the mental health part of the story. It just didn't strike me as coming from anyone who actually knew what there were talking about. If you want to be a serious writer get an editor and do serious work, there is no excuse for mechanical errors when all it requires is effort to correct them. Plan your plot line and their sequence. During the O.D. sequence and you had Kurt climbing into the back of the car I thought I was reading a huge editing mistake on your part, it did not become obvious what you were trying to do until severl paragraphs later and by then the flow of the story was seriously confusing. Have you EVER read anything by a PROFESSIONAL writer where thay stopped in the middle of a story and warned the readers to "stop now if you don't like some blah blah story possibility?" Of course if you are just pretending to write, or are one of the "I just write for my own enjoyment" hacks then turn off the comments section and better yet just don't submit your efforts here. The ending was trite, unfortunately predictable, saccharine sweet, and added to the rest of the plot problems made the entire story a monumental let down. His ex-wife has screwed him over once already and there is absolutely no reason given in the story to expect she would not do it again sometime in the future. Writing a good story is difficult, very difficult. If you are seriously trying to improve you skill then consider my feed back without being butthurt. If you only write for you own enjoyment and don't want to improve then you have wasted your time and I wasted mine. Ignore me.

. . . he just didn’t buy Maggie’s profession of undying love for Kurt. Isn’t the point of the story that Kurt came to believe it, whether the reader does or not?

Maggie just signed up for a renewed marriage to a guy with no legs. That doesn’t seem to me the kind of thing that constitutes selfishness.

You write really well.

A complex story of someone who has gone through a number of traumas and came back to life. Very few people understand what happens to a person who was damaged, physically and psychologically in combat. Add that to someone who has cheated on you and your life has gone through so many transformations. A bit of editing would help but this was a great story.

Tiny Tim

Yeah, there were a few typo's and those could've been handled with spell check, with all the grammar and special types of spelling error check boxes in the spelling settings, checked, so spell check is searching for all kinds of mistakes.

Be aware, spell check is stupid too, and misses spelling errors, so even with it, using it for 2 to 3 passes after you think you are done with a story, you still need to go into careful edit and proofing of the whole story, a few more times, to catch what spell check doesn't. Though spell check catches many errors.

After Kurt OD'd, I too was confused as to how a Marine, OD'd, that the EMT found no outward pulse signs, and only with a stethoscope a weak pulse at best could then be detected; how could he, right after that, be getting in what must of been a king cab, sitting behind Maggie and Alexis, this ride to the hospital?

But a few para's later, I finally figured, Kurt was having an out-of-body, end of life experience, a very few people do report having, near death, or in limbo between death and life, as Kurt was.

Maybe you need to figure out how to write something like that out first, practice writing it out somewhere else first, and after you've given this new section of story, your best shot on paper; read it, to see if it makes good clear sense to you! This, before you write it into a story and post it here; so us readers will know what's happening, from the get-go, of that new story section? Only maybe though...I did figure-it-out, well before the wording in your story, made it obvious... So then...just maybe...

This was a great story! I don't give a shit about, nor sweat the details of the EMT doctor/hospital jargon and all that BS... Don't let the real negative trolls here...troll you!

Keep on writing, anyone with this kinda raw talent, that can write a story this well, needs to keep on writing, posting more stories here, and trying to get better as a writer, every new story you write!

You know? Just keep on writing, and keep posting these good stories here, and about these negative comment trolls herein: be like ole' Admiral Farragut, when he went stone headed stubborn and angrily shouted to his ship bridge crew, "Damn the torpedoes! Full Steam Ahead!"

I do believe, he and his sailors won the day!

You got the combat scenes and all the PTSD issues down tight, very accurate! I did many years in military, a lot of time in combat situations, and still wake up shouting and in a pool of sweat, covered with sweat, feeling like I am still in combat.

I spend even more time in my head, thinking about all the men, my best friends, I lost in war, and wondering why now, decades later, I am the only one left standing? Why Me? God damn-it, why couldn't I of fell in battle, with honor and dignity, with all my brothers out there, in hell itself, all fell? Why me still alive? WHY?

Those fucking questions from a battle scarred for life combat vet, will drive us NUTS, if we don't remember: That was way back then, years ago...this is now, I haven't been in the military for decades!

Its just odd...that, somehow, I can be sitting here in front of my CPU monitor and suddenly, I am right back in combat again, in my head and God damn if those endless loop battle scenes, don't drive me crazy, until I work the steps another old war horse combat vet and PTSD counselor taught me, to knock those scenes out of my head and stop that stinking thinking, and help me wake up and realize: that was then, been over with for years and years...this is now. We are at peace here in America, for now...I am and will be...okay! This too...will pass. This too, will pass...

So, I'm gonna take the counselors advice to Kurt in this story, and use it, to get my life back on track again, before I vegetate and waste away...and die a useless death.

Thinkin' I might wantta try and help others, worse off than me and make the rest of the years I have left to live, count for something. Make them count, for all the best friends I ever had, who bought-it, on the battlefields we fought on...

Thank you author! You just might of saved this old grunts life, who has long felt worthless and useless, but not knowing how to get out of this rut, nor find a way to give back in a real way, to help others, and maybe stay busy enough doing others some good, so I don't toggle back over into that PTSD bullshit, so often!

Well? Who says you can't teach old dogs like me, new tricks?

ragnarok1

You are a gifted story-teller as this submission shows clearly. Man, you tackled a biggie in terms of plot theme in bringing to life the challenges experienced by ex-service personnel who are severely wounded. A lot of authors would have probably not attempted such a feat. But in a brevity of words you showed your readers insights into the minds of returned soldiers as well as those who love them and who see past their injured bodies. I'm glad that you spent the effort in writing this piece and allowing readers the opportunity to share the experience. Many thanks.

I'm a veteran. A sad tale that's true too many times, but I'm happy that in the end they got back together and have a good life. Thank you

DAMN good story. Thank you.

Every soldier's personal experience will usually influence how that soldier feels about VA as a whole. From my experience, there are some good and not so good people who work in the VA system. Some are great. A lot of times it comes down to who was handling a veteran's claim, what hospital it was at, what doctor, etc.

There are systemic problems to be sure, but there are some caring people in that system. The trick is making sure you find them.

This story, (true or not), just barely makes it into LW category. I hope writing it was therapeutic for you, but had little entertainment value. I applaud your bravery for posting, but I’m sure it’s in you to write a true LW story. Good luck

....of course. But I’m me and you’re you. And THAT is some of why I enjoy your work. You give us a glimpse into the lives of people that we mightn’t ever get to see otherwise.

Category whiners notwithstanding, it WAS an LW offering (I’m pretty sure Maggie was found in bed with that high school miscreant). I would have been a little more aggressive about the retribution there, but again, your story, not mine. BTB? Sadly most are not very realistic. Frankly, if a person is going to burn an unfaithful spouse, they are far more likely to do what we can read about in the family court files on record. Strike financially, make completely unreasonable demands, attempt to keep or steal the children from whoever has majority custody....it goes on and on. So, while they are sometimes gratifying, BTB stories almost never represent reality.

Please continue, you’re doing just fine!

A shame he didn't move forward, but got back with the cheating wife who married the guy she cheated with.

Probably why this story has a low rating. A lot of people me included don't want to read anything even in the vicinity of RAAC.

The title should have warned me but there's just too much angst for my taste

It is a bit unusual for a Lit story. But well written and a good read. I cannot imagine being an injured Vet so I have no right to comment, but at 63 I am mostly crippled and can understand the complications. It is not easy. Thanks for sharing.

But why did she marry her lover after she got divorced ?

I came to the story via BTB and I'm so glad I read it to the end! I was getting bored with it. I did not want to read a "Agh shame story." But I kept at it. So glad he and Maggie found each other again and that he realized that it was just the one time with the high school bum! There have been enough water under the bridge and they were brought together in very interesting and believable circumstances. Even though I'm a BTB fan for as unrealistic as it sometimes are ... I love a good ending. Maybe I'm a sentimentalist by nature. Thanks for sharing!!!!!!! 4-Stars!!!

Came across this story and I'm glad I read the whole thing as this has a good ending.

This story puts a pretty good ending onto the first part of the story. I do wonder about one thing. Why was he in a wheelchair for so long? Military hospitals have some of the best prosthetics available, and they don’t cost the users a dime. I know, I spent months in a US Navy hospital after I was wounded in Vietnam. The hospital I was in had their own prosthetics lab in the basement of the building. Not only that, the VA takes care of supplying and maintaining prosthetics. Yeah, he should have been out of that wheelchair and walking around on his bionic legs even before he was discharged from the Corps.

You the apocalipse of writing. The shity and spineles way you portray your male haracters its disgusting. You make them marines Raiders even ...but act like a submisive wimp. If all raiders are like that then you shame their name. Quit writing

Ignore the jerk who made fun of your name and keep writing. Your characters are real people with real human feelings, weaknesses, and strengths who overcome and are better persons after all is said and done.

Keep the writing coming. Don’t know about all of the supposed “constructive criticism” from people that have left comments. I just think the story was great. Those people who want other things in their stories let them go write their own, you just keep on writing as you are. Really enjoyed it. Thanks

Portraying Marines as wimps is saddistic and unpatriotic! You should be ashamed of yourself, and go back to Canada!

Far as I know (5-1/2 yr. USMC) is a WW II title for Marine spec. forces.

Now it's Force Recon same type as SAS, Army sp. frc. rangers etc...

I agree that some have different feelings undergoing same situations but

Don't understand really how they feel

To me if you do your best then how have you let your brothers down

I believe if really brothers in arms they would be happy some got back

So although enjoyed story don't really understand motivation

The comments are pretty typical . . . of guys who got fucked around on and, even years later, could not get passed that. (Yes, I did that deliberately.) But the LW section has some pretty wide latitude for BTB, reconciliation— certainly not at all costs in this one — and a lot in between. The damaged guys who got cheated on always see reconciliation as indicating that men are wimps, and, by God, they aren’t going to be wimps! They’d rather be miserable, broken men, but never wimps.

It’s hard to get past adultery, but it’s hard to get passed 😀 a lot of things. If you never let go of the past, you can never move into the future.

is NOT a potential or actual reconciliation. The problem is that Maggie gets back into his and his family's life too easily. She committed adultery and lied to his parents. While it was "only" once, if you were the husband, how would you know what she might have done if she hadn't been caught. In the story she's "just there". What parents in their right minds would just let back in a cheating, lying ex-wife who was responsible for their son ending up joining the Marines and being crippled? And his more or less immediate acceptance of her as his "best female friend" (are you fucking kidding?) is unpersuasive because it's not sufficiently motivated. That entire aspect of the story cripples it, renders it unconvincing, and, contrary to RR, makes Kurt seem like a needy pussy, which doesn't fit the rest of the character. If that part of the story were fixed, it would be a great effort. As it is, it's a fail.

Learn the difference between the words, “passed”, and “past”. One a past tense verb, the other a noun.

From what I understand Marine “Force Recon” units unofficially called themselves “Raiders” and used both names interchangeably.

Scored this a 3* when I originally read it many moons ago. A reread hasn’t changed that score. Two points kind of killed this as a great or very good tale:

1. Maggie. She either had a twin or a radical personlity shift.

2. Everyone kept pushing Maggie back onto Kurt. Why? That aspect made no sense. I could have seen a couple at most but not everyone. What was she? Saint Maggie of the Dissociative Identity Disorder church?

Great writing. Just a fault in the character development.

Kirk is working..., Dillon goes over.... Maggie has NO bells and whistles going off to alert her...He gets her drunk...(maybe).... She fucks him...Kirk goes home and catches her after the fact freshly creampied...Did nothing to Dillon then or later on... Kirk runs away like a feelings hurt liberal pussy...Joins the Marines like the present day French Foreign Legion...got blown up and discarded by the Corps to fend for himself... ok-ok-ok I got all that “BUT WHERE IN THE FUCK DID YOU EXPLAIN HER MARRIAGE TO DILLON.... the reason for doing it ??? All you got about that is....page 2.... I looked at her, she was still a beautiful woman. I don't know why she hadn't found a good husband yet. It had been over 3 years since her marriage to Dickhead Dillon had ennded.

I have to admit, that was still a sore spot for me. She cheats on me with Dillon and then marries him just as soon as the divorce was final. That marriage ended in divorce also. This time he was the cheater. She found him in their bed with his secretary. I have to admit I smiled when I heard about it. Paybacks are hell.... WHY THE FUCK WOULD SHE MARRY DILLON IF IT WAS ONLY A ONE TIME MISTAKE ??? IF IT WAS ABOUT BEING DRUNK ???? That was a little part that you left out that should have been added to fill the void !!!

Ignore the dumbass anon below, you can't fix stupid.

well, I liedk it.

Well written.

But why if it was 1 time, unplanned cheating, did you write she married him?

And only divorced because he cheated?

And why would any sane woman marry a guy she knows goes after married women? Sort of proves not the marrying kind.

So that part of the story didnt make sense.

the way he was thinking, there is no way that he could have joined/passed the Marine Raiders. You have to have that kind of mental toughness that is the opposite of running away after seeing that smirk from the guy who just fuck your wife.

Fantastic story had a tear in my eye.

Well done author!,,

Still moves me. Some things never change. Vietnam 1968

Not really a reconciliation type guy but I can live with this one. Maggie seemed much more mature and really loved him.

the happy ending would have been Alexis. Even written as she was, Alexis is the one who saved him. If his survival depended on Maggie he would have died. It weakened the plot - Maggie was a cunt, she; married Dillon. Friends, perhaps, but never again "wife".

Now...in addition to stopping their Ignorant-Feminist-Pronoun-Usage, authors need to learn the difference between "passed", which is the simple past tense of the verb "to pass", and "past", which is a preposition that indicates position in time or space.

Thank you for this wonderful story. You are one of very few good writers in the LW category. Actually, you are someone I consider a storyteller. Thank you from a Vietnam vet.

Learn the different meaning of passed and past

Sort of felt like I was dragged through the story knowing what would happen. Ya know?

have hard time understanding why she married dirtbag that destroyed her marriage

The story would have been much better if he ended up with Alexis or someone new. Having him be friends with Maggie after what she did is unbelievable so was their getting back together as husband and wife. I think what she did was unforgivable and besides he would never be able to trust her again. She had done nothing to deserve his love or trust after cheating on him. Having them get back together did not make sense and it ruined the story. This story started well then it fell completely fell apart at the end.

at the commenters that think the whole story is wrong. First, if you didn't like it at the beginning, move on to another story. Second, if you didn't like the ending, why did you keep reading past the suggested end. Third, if you think you can do a better job, write a story yourself, let it stand among your peers, and be ready to listen to all the naysayers on why your story sucks. Most of the comments are NOT constructive and just seem to bring out the naysayer's ability to rip and tear apart someone else. The comments are supposed to be constructive criticisms and not rants about BS.

I enjoyed the story overall and I rated it in a manner fair to the author. Oh, and if the story is so bad, how is it that this author appears to get pretty solid reviews on what he writes.

Just my two cents worth that no one will care about, but I feel better! And I have no problem signing my handle to my comments, unlike the many anonymous commenters.

anybody but Maggie

Kinda boring.

I agree that I was hoping it would be someone besides Maggie, but I don't disagree with the choice either. She fucked up ONCE, she stuck by him when most people would have ditched him (it's a big part of why vets commit suicide). They were stupid kids when they got married so I'm ok with it. I enjoyed the story start to finish. Thanks for posting

The story is one hell of redemption. I understand the feeling of the betrayed. You can't forgive because you want the betrayer to feel the same pain. You can't forget because you don't know if the betrayer really change. But I do know, when the betrayed forgives and the betrayer change, their bond will be stronger than ever.

The story had so much details which is a little bit overwhelming. That makes the story a little bit boring at the middle. But I love the part when he started to write the suicide note. From emotional flat to a sudden escalation of emotion. I wasn't prepared on that.

5

This story sounds a lot like the tale of Marcus Luttrell and the men of operation Redwings.

Reread but still the same score.

If Maggie there will be a Part 2 where it blows up ... again. Recon out of guilt = Fail.

The Alexis piece made little sense from a plot perspective except it was needed to try to shoehorn Maggie back in.

Good writing but the pieces don’t mesh.

But darn me, I don't know why but I seemed to like the original ending. I don't know why. I like reconciliation, but man, I didn't like this one. Maggie, who cheated then married the AP right after the divorce was final, then she, just an ex for years now, was put off that Kurt had fun with Alexis? I mean what the heck? And she, in spite of everything, did drove Kurt to suicide with her antic making Kurt depressed enough to think of ending it. Maggie should just put a gun on Kurt's head so she could finally stop hurting him with her antics. But the alternative ending, they're back together, Man, I don't want to imagine what things an entitled chick like Maggie will do that'll hurt Kurt again especially he's more vulnerable now because of PTSD.

Much I don't like to admit, It made sense to me when he said that he is better off with his brothers-in-arms who didn't made it as it was should have been. Much better ending than being with Maggie again.

A good follow up to another good story! The only thing I would change is Alexis should be anything but a vet. Too confusing with two kinds of vets! Thank you for two good stories.