Living the life of a soldier can be difficult on a number of different levels. For some people, it’s the fact that they are so far away from home for a long time. For others, it is because of the difficulty of seeing some type of active combat. One thing is certain, when a soldier puts their life on the line and has that type of dedication, it can lead to experiences that most of us will never have in life. In addition, the difficulties that they face can be a force for change in their lives, and not always in the best way. Any of them can suffer from these types of problems but in this true-life story, it was a soldier named Josh Marino.
Josh was in the US military and he was off fighting the war in Baghdad. Unfortunately, he would have a very difficult time and ended up suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He didn’t know how he was going to get through life when he got back home. Unfortunately, this type of mental wound is not like a physical wound that is easy for everyone to see. It is something that often goes unnoticed and it doesn’t always get the attention that it needs.
Josh reflected back on those days:
“One day there was a mortar attack and mortar exploded no more than ten feet to my right. I suffered traumatic brain injury and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. A lot of us come home without realizing that we are bringing the war home with us. In a lot of cases, it’s an invisible wound that no one can see.”
He eventually decided that he could not go any further.
“I took out one of my knives, set it to the side. I wrote a letter up on my computer and set it there on the desktop.”
He went outside to smoke a final cigarette in the rain. He had been suffering from such a hopeless situation that he just couldn’t get beyond it. That is when something caught his eye in the bushes.
A little black kitten came out of the bushes and jumped over to see him.
“He just walked up and started rubbing against my leg and let me pet him. I broke down crying, burst into tears. Maybe he knew there was something I couldn’t quite handle.”
At that time, the kitten became his hero because it distracted him enough that he started thinking about his life and what he may be able to do to help the stray cat. Ever since that night, he takes food out into his backyard every day for the kitten.
Although the kitten is still a stray, he named him Scout. It helped to give Josh purpose and to restore his faith in himself. He was eventually strong enough both physically and mentally to be in a relationship.
Things were going well but within a few months, Scout disappeared. He would call for him several times but the kitten was nowhere to be found.
He just couldn’t stop thinking about the memories of that little kitten so he and his girlfriend went to adopt a cat at Fort Riley stray animal shelter. They wanted to add a little someone to their family but they found something unexpected.
“All of a sudden a little black and white paw shoots out from a crate and starts smacking me in my left arm. I looked inside, it is the same little black and white cat. I opened up that cage, and I pulled him out, and I held him tight.”
The reunion was amazing. The odds of it happening, however, are staggering. Josh started eating better, exercising more and he even gave up smoking.
Josh knew that his life was going in the wrong direction but thanks to a little kitten, everything turned around. You can see more in this video:
A little black kitten came out of the bushes and jumped over to see him.
“He just walked up and started rubbing against my leg and let me pet him. I broke down crying, burst into tears. Maybe he knew there was something I couldn’t quite handle.”
At that time, the kitten became his hero because it distracted him enough that he started thinking about his life and what he may be able to do to help the stray cat. Ever since that night, he takes food out into his backyard every day for the kitten.
Although the kitten is still a stray, he named him Scout. It helped to give Josh purpose and to restore his faith in himself. He was eventually strong enough both physically and mentally to be in a relationship.
Things were going well but within a few months, Scout disappeared. He would call for him several times but the kitten was nowhere to be found.
He just couldn’t stop thinking about the memories of that little kitten so he and his girlfriend went to adopt a cat at Fort Riley stray animal shelter. They wanted to add a little someone to their family but they found something unexpected.
“All of a sudden a little black and white paw shoots out from a crate and starts smacking me in my left arm. I looked inside, it is the same little black and white cat. I opened up that cage, and I pulled him out, and I held him tight.”
The reunion was amazing. The odds of it happening, however, are staggering. Josh started eating better, exercising more and he even gave up smoking.
Josh knew that his life was going in the wrong direction but thanks to a little kitten, everything turned around. You can see more in this video: