An Afghanistan veteran’s jagged path from war to peace

As this veteran learned – and is proving – the journey home from war isn’t a straight line. But you can reach the destination: healing.

I’ll return to the Air Force Academy next month for a reunion. I’ll laugh with friends, retrace steps on campus, get quiet at the cemetery. I’ll experience it from a distance of 25 years since I began there.

For four years, the academy did its best to prepare us for some future conflict. What it did not and could not do was prepare us for...