In the War on Terror, Sometimes the casualties Are Our Own...

I'll just state, first off I'm a Vet, so I'v faced the Threat, only it was a time of innocence, a time of upheaval, a time when many were unaccustomed even the premise of War, but it was thrust upon us ...............
.....And now to Modern times. When you'd think all we had learned from the previous confrontations, one would hope it would temper our Lust for war.
Regardless the politics, there are those who will take up the banner for our country, and Bravely serve.
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There has been much planning on my Old Hometown for His return, there will be literally thousands lining the streets, of that you can be sure, even amid the faltering economy there, even amid cultural tensions.

This is the Story of one such Man. His sacrifice..... Life Changing..

Support for Jordan Sisco · 2,467 like this
Yesterday at 2:19am ·

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Dec 17, 2012--

I apologize for being so late to post. You guys deserve to hear what is going on in my life. It has been quite a tough couple of weeks as of late. I have been pushed mentally and physically. Ive had to deal with a lot of stupid people, and tried to keep my mouth shut...but that never works. And Deal with the fact that I have been given this new life.

Lately, my doctors have been tapering me off medicine for the past week and a half and my God, does it suck. It has been so hard for me to move around lately. Sometimes, I cant move 2 feet without throwing up. I get dizzy at times and feel like I am about to pass out, cry at random, and want to throw things at people that don't deserve to be hit with anything. I don't need to explain the symptoms of withdrawals, because some of you can imagine or some of you have experienced such a thing. However....a lot of you dont understand one thing: I was dependent on all these medications. I was dependent on them, and they were killing me at the same time. And now that my body is forced to change, it doesnt like it..and it hurts. Hopefully this will all be over with soon.

However there has been some good in all of this. I am finally being given the chance to go home back to Corona, CA for a little over two weeks. I am stoked, and I can't wait to see friends and family. AND Last Friday I was able to get casted for my right leg! Although, they are shorter legs, called "stubbies." They need me to master my balancing first, and its easier to do that when you are at the lowest possible to the ground. So I am very excited to be able to stand. It doesn't sound like much of an achievement, however I have learned in the past and have been reminded, that it is crucial to be appreciative of the little things in life. It's been so frustrating since I have moved to the barracks. I am trying to use my old life, and fit in with the new. For example, when I get hungry, any normal person would go to the kitchen and open up the cupboard and grab a snack. Well, I go to the kitchen, and I see the cupboard tower over me while I sit in my wheelchair with every emotion you could think of. So now I'm pissed, because I have to get my dad or mom to help me. I'm a very independent person, and tend to keep to myself. So its hard for me to ask help at times. I'm trying to do things on my own, and I cant.

When I was in Afghanistan, all I wanted to see was the new batman movie-The Dark Knight Rises. When I woke up in San Antonio, Texas in a hospital. I had a poster of Batman in my room. I would stare at it every day while I lay in my bed. Every time I looked at it…knowing someway, somehow, I was going to see it. And this past Sunday, was that day. And I loved the movie. I loved the message. I can't call myself batman, but there was a certain person in the movie that tells him and asks him "Why do you protect these people that hate you and try to hurt you? Why do you do it?" Well I won't ruin the movie for you. But I could relate to Batman. When I went to Iraq and to Afghanistan, I fought and a lot of other military personnel fought, for their country. So both the people of Iraq and Afghanistan can have better lives. And you know what, they all hated us. I dealed with this especially in Afghanistan. I lost my legs not for my country, but for someone else's country. I truly believe that. And I didn't sign up for that. And hearing that quote in that movie made me have a flashback. I am no hero, however I can relate to Batman in that sense. I encourage all of you to see this movie if you haven't.

It was a hard day for me yesterday. I was throwing up every ten seconds. I was crying to my psychologist because of what has been going on in my life. I was freaking out and so fed up with why I was shaking. The withdrawals were at their worst today. Eventually I gave in, and took some pills to prevent the nausea. The downside to taking this pill, is that I will go to sleep within at least 10 minutes or less. As my Dad was wheeling me to the car, he mentioned that my Grandfather had passed away. I didn't know what to think. During the earlier part of my life me and my brothers never really never talked to him. But as time progressed, all of us threw aside our differences, and became a family again. I started seeing him a lot when I joined the Army. I felt I could connect with him more and understand a little bit of what he went through as a soldier in the Vietnam era. Whether he went to Vietnam or not, doesn't really matter, he did his part. Now he was a doctor and he was one of the healthiest senior citizens I had ever met. Every day he would walk the stairs up to his office. He would never take the elevator. He had a healthy diet, he traveled, etc. However he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease. I was told this when I was in Iraq, so I was already hot-headed then, and the news threw me over the edge. It's the last thing I needed to hear about, nor worry. In case you don't know what LGD is, its a disease within your body that effects your motor skills and will eventually kill you. You will slowly start losing function of your body.Theres two forms of LG's Disease. PLS and ALS. PLS or Primary lateral sclerosis, is a slow acting form of LGD. ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a fast acting form of LGD and will kill you within the next couple of years of being diagnosed with it. It is in my opinion one of the worst things to ever happen to you. When I came back from Iraq, he came to Corona, CA and visited me. The first time I saw him since coming back from Iraq, I saw him walking around with a cane, and he was able to eat and talk except he was to weak. Months passed and then I came down to Corona again and I saw him again. And then when I saw him, he was in a wheelchair this time, and was only able to eat certain things. His throat was getting weaker, so it was very difficult to swallow food. Then the last time I saw him,before I deployed to Afghanistan, he looked like death. He admitted that death would be an easier choice however he was going to fight death the best he could. After lunch, he told me something. Something I will never forget. He looked me in the eye and said "Jordan, when my grandpa was in the hospital and he was dying, he told me one thing. He said ""Sandy(My grandpa's name), it doesn't matter what happens in life. It doesn't matter who you are, but something or someone is gonna kill you." And my grandpa stared into my eyes and said, "Jordan, I'm going to tell you the same thing" my Grandpa told me. "Something or someone will kill you ...............

" And my grandpa stared into my eyes and said, "Jordan, I'm going to tell you the same thing" my Grandpa told me. "Something or someone will kill you. When our time is up our time is up. But you will die in the end. All that matters is when you get to the end, you want to make sure you have no regrets in life. " I was shocked. Yes, we all know that we are going to die one day. However, the tone and manner in which he told me sent chills to my bones. Going into Afghanistan, knowing that my life was that fragile. That I might not come back. I already had a bad feeling about this deployment, unlike my Iraq deployment, because I knew I was going to a really "hot" spot. I was reminded of that quote many times during my deployment. And as you all you know I was injured, and the quote came to life. But as I was bleeding out into the Afghanistan sand, my grandpa's quote echoed in my ears. I knew I was going to die, but I was going to give it my best. I wasn't going to give up without a fight. And I won. I fought death and won. Not many people can say that they can survive when they step on an IED and deal with the trauma. I am no badass, it just wasn't my time. Just like the UFC fighters, or the Boxers, a fighter comes out of the ring victorious, and it was just his night. I will lose to death eventually. However he is going to have a tough time getting rid of me. My grandpa was in the hospital because his symptoms and vitals were getting worse. He could barely talk, he couldn't get out of bed…you get the picture. And now that he had heard about me getting hurt in Afghanistan, I heard it had really hurt him. I never got to talk to my grandpa again. He sent letters through the mail, however I never was able to see him in time or talk to him in time. His wife(my aunt) told me that when he found out that I was coming down for Christmas, he couldn't talk, or move anything within in his body, he couldn't eat but he was getting pumped liquid vitamins and essentials through his body, but he did one thing. He smiled. He smiled when he heard that I was coming down and I was going to be able to see him one more time. He went to bed that night a happy man. He died in his sleep that night. My grandmother had told me all of this. And it makes the loss, that much horrific. One thing is for sure though, my grandpa fought death until he couldn't fight it no more. Sure he was afraid, I'm sure of it. Who wouldn't be? But he never took the easy way out.

Now after the news of my grandpa's death, a friend of mine that I had been seeing every sunday for the past month, had texted me that he was diagnosed with ALS and not PLS of LGD. I didn't tell him about my grandfather's death and that he died because of the same thing my friend has….and I'm not sure if I ever will tell him. However this man has been coming to see me every day of the week to convince me to come back to Christianity. Every time we meet, I explain my troubles with the religion and the faith, and tell him that I don't think I should praise a God that has taken my legs among other things and has ruined my life. He looks at me and smiles. I don't know how he does it. I don't know how he can praise God, and be diagnosed with this awful disease. Why him? Why me? He praised God his entire life and still gets mistreated, and this happens to him? He is one of the most influential and incredible individuals I have ever met. It doesn't make sense to me. One thing is for sure, like my Grandpa, I know he will give this thing a hell of a fight.

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There have been so many of you that have sent kind-sweet letters to me, sent kind messages to me on Facebook and have done many other things to help me and my family along the way. There are a few people that I would like to thank. The first being the Roosevelt High School Baseball Team. They were the ones that did the car wash for me. They took time out of their busy schedule to raise money and awareness about my injury. I do not know these kind young gentlemen. However it takes a man to sacrifice his time(especially being teenagers :] ) for others. Thank you guys. You are amazing young adults. I hope to share a beer with you guys one day...of course when you are of age .

A wonderful lady named Michelle Haskins has gone over and beyond to help my mother and my family with whatever we needed. She has been there for our family when we had to deal with dark times, some of them still present. However, this sweetheart of a woman, earns my respect and the respect of my families. Thank you Michelle. For everything you have done…from the bottom of my heart…Thank you. You are an Angel.

Dan and Sue, Thank you so much for everything. You two have been there for me from the very beginning. You continue to send me letters of support and your time invested in me will not go to waste. Thank you.

And the Corona-Norco Unified School District, Thank you for all of your support. A few of you had mentioned my name to hundreds and thousands of people. You have spread my story. And thats all I want. To tell my story, and your helping me with it. You are the tip of the spear for me. You and the amazing people that continue to message me on Facebook and write me in person.

Ladies and Gentlemen, those of you who are reading this. Thank you for your support. I have definitely missed some names. (Bj Cotton, Lilli Ann Snow, etc. The Mittelsted's Karalius')However you are forever in my heart. I may have lost my legs…and I may be going through a tough time…however I still have you guys to back me up. Thank you.

Now, I know this was a long post and all, however I want to make sure when YOU, the reader, are seeing this post, I hope you read what I wrote. I really hope you see what I am about to write. And its this. Appreciate the little things in life. I'm no preacher, and I'm just a kid and I don't know much, but I do know that I need to stop complaining and bitching about certain things. And appreciate the little things in life.

I love you all



YOU KNOW, I think this Young Man will find his way in the World despite his Losses.

Never loose sight of the sacrifices others are making, and the Cost it will extract.

God's Speed .

And at Home, they stood in the rain for this young Man.

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