My name is Ronnie Shinault, and I’m a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I was born in Aurora, Illinois in May 1986. Both of my grandfathers are Vietnam veterans. My mother worked as a waitress and my father was a roofer. I have a brother and sister, David and Melissa.

I initially set out to play football in college but lost out on the scholarship. So, I enlisted after high school and attended boot camp in Fort Benning, Georgia and afterwards completed Advanced Infantry Training in Fort Polk, LA. I was nervous going into the service. No one explained what it would be like. I found it to be difficult and a huge shock, different than any other experience. There were times where I didn’t feel that I would survive it. The physical aspect was not bad and was sort of like the two day football practices that I used to attend. The mental stress and lack of sleep was difficult and overwhelming. But I loved the barrack experience. It was like a college dorm and having lots of fun socializing with 35 brothers. If you received a letter, it was at least 2 weeks old. All communications were screened.

My tours included 13.5 months in Kirkurk, Iraq, 13 months and 18 days in Kandahar, Afghanistan and the last 6 months in Baghdad. I was a rifleman and squad leader who was responsible for search and seizure of high priority targets taken by force if in conflict. But the main job was to take alive and detain the unit. We were the first wave infantry aimed at setting up a frontline operations base in the middle of the desert and clear out all Taliban living in the trenches. What started out as fear became a form of numbness after awhile. It was part of the job and going numb kept you alive. It’s hard to imagine one can get to that point.
The military taught me to not take anything for granted and to think before making choices. It was a life changing experience with work ethic, goal setting, and a new appreciation for life with strength and desire to live through difficult situations.

The worst part of the war experience was seeing people die and not being able to do anything about it. It was tough making difficult decisions, knowing that outcome may not be positive for all. My greatest fear initially was dying. But after awhile, it was the fear of making a mistake that would result in someone else dying.

It took about 6 weeks to transition back home to the states for a debriefing in Fort Drum, New York. I was a wreck and needed to shut my instincts down. My first reaction was violence. That’s how they make you human again. I am still adjusting after several years and often experience stress and anger with my body going rigid. Sometimes I will stare without seeing. There are times I have bad dreams calling out coordinates, holding my gun ready for action and confused when I wake up.
For those protesting the war, I would say, “STOP.” If we didn’t fight or serve, you would not have the freedom to protest in the first place. You would get shot for saying anything in another country. Get on with your life to pursue a worthwhile cause.

People in general do not usually thank us for our service. It is the older people who tend to thank us more. But I do not regret going and glad that I served.
~ Ronnie Shinault, Veteran Iraq and Afghanistan

“After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.”
― Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery

We are grateful for Ronnie sharing his service and story with Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, where we are all connected.

The above is an excerpt from www.VietnamAndBeyond.com

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