Stay Safe: Chapter Thirty-Three
What follows is a chapter from "Stay Safe: Life After Loss," a book that I wrote following the death of my brother, Robert James Reeves. Rob, only 14-months younger than me and 32 years old at the time of his death, was a Navy SEAL on the prestigious SEAL Team 6. On August 6, 2011, while on a mission in Afghanistan, he and too many of his teammates and other servicemen, lost their lives when their helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. It was the single largest loss of American life in the Afghan war. And because of the high profile nature of this event–being on the cusp of the Bin Laden mission and the number of those lost–my dad and I were part of many, many memorials and events, and the recipients of much outreach, and the point of contact for all those wanting to do something in Rob’s memory. This book chronicles the first month after his death. I am releasing a chapter a day starting August 5th as we mark the fourth anniversary of life without him.
Dad and I finally made it back to Shreveport on Monday, over a week after we left. The Shreveport ladies had been taking good care of the house and my two dogs. Of all the things Dad and I were worried about over the last week, we didn’t have to worry about his house and my dogs. We knew our friends were taking care of everything. And that was priceless to us.I was there, but not ready for my real life back yet. That meant facing reality and I felt like we’d been playing a part up until this point. I wasn’t sure what would happen when I didn’t have funerals and travel and ceremonies to distract me anymore and had to deal with life without Rob. I was not sure I could do that. Ever.
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