Ryan Timmins just got back from Nam Iraq. He's still processing it all and working through the contradictions.

My political views began to falter. I no longer could swallow what the public was being told. I knew it was different than what the talking heads on the news and the spin-doctors in the government were saying it was.

I remember a lot of guys whose political views changed after seeing life in the raw. Change is part of life, but you have to be prepared to accept that change as a positive element in your life. Usually you get the psychic shock and think it all out later, after the stress has passed, and that's when you figure out you've crossed a hurdle, learned some new truth, gained a better insight into your soul. That's when you figure out the bastards lied to you. Psychologists call it "maturation" I think.

I was trying to talk to my friends at home and they didn’t quite get it. They tried to understand but nothing could put it into terms they could grasp. This went on for several months, but I never quite connected with anyone well enough to explain it. I began to feel isolated and alone.

For me, personally this was just about the most painful part of the lesson. One professional brain twister termed it a variant on the Stockholm Syndrome - that remarkable bit of inner brain rationalization that leads to feelings of guilt because you survived.

As we made the turn onto the road leading to Camp Casey, a knot formed in my stomach. I began to wonder if I was doing the right thing. Am I supposed to be here? Am I betraying my brothers in arms like the media says? Is this the right thing to do? I couldn't answer the questions. So I drove on.

Screw the media, Ryan. They're professional liars, like the politicians. Trust your eyes and ears, and that inner sense we seem to develop. That's a survival skill.

My buddy saw the whole exchange, but I'm not sure that he got it all. I saw in the other vet’s eyes that he knew exactly where I was without even asking. I saw that he understood my pain. He shared the demons I have. I said more to him in five minutes than I have to anyone since I got back six months ago. My healing began at that point.

This simple trip made me realize that I had a duty as a soldier to get the word out. There are other soldiers out there that need to have an experience that I did. They need to start the healing process. On top of that, the American people needed to know what was really going on. People needed to see what was happening in Iraq.

Let us never forget.