My brother is finally getting out of Iraq?

Question

He will be crossing into Kuwait today, or perhaps he already has. How long before he will get home? Will he get time to spend with his family when he gets home? His enlistment is not up until next March.
We are not too certain how soon it will be before we see him and how will he be... My parents and I expect him to be depressed and angry. Any suggestions from people who have had loved ones return from Iraq? Thanks.

He's in Kuwait now. My parents got a call today.
I saw him last year around Halloween, as he was wounded in the shoulder, jaw and cheek by some shrapnel. He spent almost a month in Germany with a fractured jaw. I was able to spend 3 days with him. The getting wounded part had him depressed. We get the feeling he's still a bit depressed and angry, but not as much as he was say around Christmas when he was back in Iraq. By the spring, it was more like he accepted being there, accepted it was dangerous and not what he wanted to do, but he knew he had to do what he was there for anyway, and trying to make the best of a crummy situation.

Answer 1

first i want to say congratulations that you get your brother back! i can tell you from experience he wont be quite the same. he has seen things that you and i could never wrap our minds around. my boyfriend was in the first iraq war and he still has nightmares at night, he wont talk about the war at all, we are very picky about our movies that we watch because some just bring back bad bad memories.
other then that i wanted to give you some advice. dont bring up the topic of the war, if he wants to talk about it then go with it but be very careful about asking to many questions (i had the bad habbit of asking on to many questions). movies that you watched before and simple things that you used to do for fun may change drasticly. my boyfriend is easily aggitated, very easily emotional when it comes down to the topic of the war and he doesnt smile near as much as im sure he used to. the only thing i can really say though is just love him as much as you possibly can. he isnt going to be the same person you knew before he left but he is still your brother. it took me along time to get used to the idea of having someone in my life that had been through the war but we have been together through everything and the war may have messed with his head a bit but i couldnt imagine being with anyone else.
as for the person somewhere above me that answered he will only be mad if he didnt get a kill. i can not believe you said that. if any serviceman saw that it would not be good. my boyfriend stands firmly by the saying (as im sure many other servicemen and women do) that "the only true heros are the ones who never get the chance to come home."

anyway congrats! and i didnt mean to scare you at all if i did but i did think you deserved to know what you may be facing.

Answer 2

That is great news. You can call his rear d or FRG and they will be able to tell you when he will be home if you are family. Your family is more than welcome to come to the redeployment ceremony, which happens the day he comes home. The returning soldiers will have to probably work for a week or two to go through some debriefing and then most units have block leave. Most are 30 days he can take if he chooses and has available leave days saved up, which most do. Each soldier will react differently, some happy, some depressed as some have posted, and all some will just want to go back to Iraq. Be patient with him, follow his lead. Ask him before planning any big parties or other get togethers. Just show him your love and support. Most soldiers will not want to talk about anything that happened over there, if he does only listen do not judge in any way, you weren't there. As much as we'd love to understand it what is was like, unless you've been there, you really can't. It's like trying to explain child birth to a guy or a woman who's never given birth. Do beware of any warning signs for PTSD and depression, if you see the signs refer him to a professional. Show him all the love and support and just be there to welcome him home.

Answer 3

I have a brother serving over there for a third time. I'd say he's disappointed, not depressed. Besides me and our parents, he really doesn't have contact with non-military types. He had a girl friend. She was is the military. She didn't re-enlist and eventually they drifted apart.
I'm not a rich person. The last time he came home, he came to me so he could smoke and drink. Our parents would have hassled him over it. I also have a small temporary pool. Last summer I bought a new, larger pool, as the 12'x36" was about 5 years old and I wanted something bigger than this $200 pool. I got a 15'x42" pool for about $300. I had just filled it when he got here. It was cold, about 60 degrees. He LOVED it! He said Iraq was so hot, that the cold pool was just incredible relief. He didn't quite have the same reaction in 2004, but then again, he only spent about 6 months there the first time.
Be prepared to have the AC cranked. If you have a pool, cool it down a little. He's going to be hungry as hell too.

Answer 4

Hi! Congrats on your brother coming home! How very exciting for you and your family!! Once they move into Kuwait it can take up to a week to leave. Some units have to wait for all their equipment to catch up with them. Then there's the entire process of waiting for a flight. I believe that once they leave Kuwait it should take about 24 hours for them to be home. They'll have to stop somewhere in Europe to refuel. When he comes home there should be a welcome home ceremony. Each unit is different but most Soldiers are released immediately afterwards for about a three or four day weekend. Once the entire battallion gets back they will go on what's called block leave. Some get two weeks, some get a month. Your brother will know when he gets back how much time is in his leave. He can go anywhere he wants or have anyone visit. As for what to expect, each Soldier is different. My husband has been deployed to Afghanistan once and Iraq twice and seems to be okay. The important thing is to allow him to talk when he wants. Don't force him but let him start the conversation if he wishes. Give him time and let him know that you're there if he wishes to talk. Granted the military is supposed to catch warning signs of depression and all but they can and do slip through. So if you notice anything really off about his behavior, talk to someone immediately. His unit should have a chaplain that's available. The most important advice is this: take it easy the first couple of weeks. Don't try to cram a million activities into his leave. Let him tell you what he wants to do. It may take a couple of weeks for him to get back into his normal schedule. Anyway, good luck and congrats!!!

Answer 5

if he is in Kuwait, then its almost over! From there they get on the commercial flights to an overseas stop then to the states. while in Kuwait its just a matter of waiting until the flights open up. Once deployment is over, they have to go back to their post, turn in equipment, sensitive items, etc. and then can get released for leave if they choose to take it. as for how he will be, it is different for every soldier, my husband was infantry/sniper in iraq and saw and did alot of hard things, so when he came home, there was an adjustment period, and the nightmares and getting used to driving and loud sounds and things, its just a totally different world they are coming back from. be patient, give him time to talk if he wants to, and if he doesnt, then dont push it. the best thing you can do is be there for him, let him know you love him, and allow him to adjust, dont plan too much at once, it takes time to get integrated back into the family and the life over here. good luck and im so glad he'll be home soon.

Answer 6

Once you are in Kuwait, you are bascially very close to coming home. That means his unit has already transfered control and responsibilty to another unit and they aren't really tasked to do anything other than go home. They may have to load their stuff onto a ship which takes a few days, but other than that you usually only stay in Kuwait for a few weeks at the most unless something is wrong. Your brother should be back in the USA very soon. Right now the only thing he is fighting is boredom.

Once he gets back to the USA, his unit will go on what's called "block leave". This means almost everyone can go on leave at once as opposed to the normal policy of 20% or less during normal operations. He can come visit then.

Answer 7

Honestly, I think it all depends on the individual and how they will react to being in Iraq. My husband saw Iraqi civilians, Iraqi enemy and his own fellow soldiers killed. He is home now and so far shows no signs of being depressed or angry. So like I said, it really depends. People react to war differently.

As far as how long it will take him to get home from Kuwait...it really depends. It could take a few days, a week, a couple weeks. When my husband came home for R&R it took about 3 days, but then again that was different. He got injured after 6 months of being there and that took him about a week to get home.

Did you get to see him during any leave?

Hope you have a good reuinion!

Answer 8

Well, I can't answer the part about how long 'til he gets home (others have anyway), but I can tell you that when my brother-in-law got home from Iraq he was wayyyyyyyyyyy different for quite a while.

He was definitely extremely angry, and even emotionally abusive to my sister. He had a lot of symptoms of Depression like lethargy, no motivation, talking very little to the point of almost seeming mute, and basically no interest in anything.

It seemed to help him when he finally spent about two hours sort of recounting to my husband everything he had been through in Iraq. It seemed like he needed the catharsis, but at the same time, it had to come on his terms and his timetable.

So that's kind of hard to navigate, but I think the thing is to give him space when it seems like he needs it and give him attention and support when it seems like he needs that.

He might want to see a therapist or counselor (even though I've known many men to resist that) just to talk things out and process. Even if he wasn't especially traumatized, he was taken away from his familiar environment and his loved ones to spend time in a hostile environment without in-person support from friends and family. That's gotta be hard no matter who you are.

Finally, you don't say what branch of the military your brother is in, but here is an article about new psychiatric services the Army is offering specifically in response to the current war. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_re_us/army_mental_illness;_ylt=AkO5JeFzYYNUJ8RO7b1ne.as0NUE.

Interestingly, this article refers to soldiers returning from the war with "mild brain damage and post-traumatic stress disorder" without explaining what exactly "mild brain damage" means, how people got it, and if it can be treated or reversed. Just a point of interest. If your brother seems really messed up, maybe a whole phsyical workup could be helpful.

Anyway, I wish you and your brother the best.

Answer 9

It's hard for any one else to tell you how he will be.. every single person would react to a thing like participating in a way in such a different way, and it also depends on if he has killed anyone, seen friends get shot, etc.

It's hard to say when he will get home but usually they get to stay home for at least a week or two. If his time is up in March then that doesn't sound too bad. I'm sure he will be happy to be back home. Either way just be there for him no matter how angry or depressed he is.

Answer 10

Ask him. He would possibly no longer % a crowd around or he wish a great occasion. make optimistic that the team or despite activity which you intend won't hassle him if he has been injured. Take him to a great picnic or in trouble-free terms some human beings, a ball activity too. this could be cool.