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The
Sandbox: Stories of Human Spirit and War,
written by Mike Liguori, is an outstanding chronicle
of his attempts to fight the war in Iraq and on the
home front, after being discharged from the Marines.
Mike discussed his two tours in the Al Anbar Province
as a truck driver in the motor transport unit. After
arriving home, he struggled with PTS (post-traumatic
stress) and wrote this book to find a purpose to his
life after war.
The
book was titled, “Sandbox, because when
you arrived in Iraq there is nothing but sand, looking
like a giant sandbox with just these borders, and no
vegetation. It was like quicksand, a trap that
I was stuck in. By the way, military jargon called Iraq,
‘the big old sandbox.’”
The
parts about serving in Iraq were revealing since he
constantly had thoughts of killing and death. He
said this was no more evident than when he saw children
on the streets and “all the kids knew was that
we were Americans and that was enough for them to hate
us…A kid raised one hand in the shape of a handgun,
and pointed it directly at me. He pulled the imaginary
trigger, smirking as if he had hit me.”
After
arriving home he remembers feeling both isolated and
fearful, the sounds of Iraq were all around him.
He told blackfive.net he was trapped in a dark hole,
overweight, unhappy, depressed, and a heavy drinker. It
all came to a head when he attempted to commit suicide.
He describes it; “I had planned to cut myself
with a knife. I walked over to the knife drawer
in my kitchen and opened it. A voice in my ear
calmly whispered to me to put it down. I shut
the drawer as hard as I could and cried. I had
never cried like that in my life. I realized I
was just trying to hurt myself. I decided to ask
for help and take the support of others, that this was
not a sign of weakness.”
He
decided to write this book because it was easier to
write his feelings than express them verbally.
Mike was glad to be able to chronicle his experiences
without having anyone immediately respond or give feedback.
“I could write without any judgment and share
my experiences on my timeline. I think writing this
book became therapeutic and empowered me.”
Like
other veterans, after graduating college with a business
degree, he is currently unemployed and points out that
the unemployment rate among veterans is a whopping 29.1%.
Because of that he started a non-profit organization, Operation
Work Warriors, dedicated to helping veterans transition
from the military to the civilian workforce. “People
need to understand that combat vets served their country
honorably. There should be a standard out there
to help the vet.”
Mike
is hopeful that those who read the book, The
Sandbox: Stories of Human Spirit and War, will
see that “no matter how bad things can get or
whatever your situation, you’ve got to keep on
pushing through. Things might get worse before
they get better, but I am encouraged that my story transitioning
from war to assimilating back home will help other vets
and their families, that there is help out there to
assist you in finding a purpose.”
This
book is very insightful for those who want to understand
what soldiers went through during the war and how they
fought a war after arriving home. He explains in
detail through his personal story how PTS is very treatable.
This book is a must read because Mike shows for all
those with PTS that there are success stories and he
is not afraid to discuss his journey from defeat to
triumph.
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