Last week on the bus I saw a clean-cut young guy wearing camo pants, who had a shaven head with a giant scar on one side. The scar looked recent. He could barely get around. It seemed that he was unable to use his left arm and leg for much. He sat in profile just ahead of me so that I kept seeing his scar in the periphery. When I looked directly at it the guy looked at me. We had a brief eye contact, then he looked past me - at others behind me also looking at him perhaps.
At his stop he reached for a pole to help himself up but missed it and lunged into the aisle. He quickly found the pole and forcefully pulled himself up. I'm pretty sure he was military because the way he recovered himself is something you learn when a boot camp instructor screams at you. No excuses, just move!
This diary is for him.
The former text here about a passing Afghan war situation has been retired.