Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire When did you first feel your mortality?

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Wait till you get to 55 if you want to see some speed Jim. Damnit!

Had some close calls, some super close calls, and done some dumb stuff. Even done some stupid stuff. I think realizing self mortality is a process for most, some quicker than others. I'll take the details of realizing my own mortality with me.

A good friends son is deployed, and she realized his mortality when he called to say he'd filed his will, was ready for action... and wasn't scared, cause he was going to be fine. I knew well before then, and reaffirmed it during that conversation, that realizing or seeing the mortality of those around me, or those they cared about, was far more important than my own.

My father passed in 1978 and that was "the first shot off the bow" but I really didn't take it to heart. Fast forward to July 31st 2009. I was in Paktia Province Afghanistan and I got a blood clot in my leg. It was going to be 3 days before They could fly me back to Kabul. I didn't make it. The next day the clots moved to my lungs and I had to go to Bahgram and then to Landstuhl. The young medics at FOB Lightening had the right stuff to break up the clots and make it easier to breath.

When the clots moved I left my room and was on my way to a friends room when I blacked out and hit the floor. One of the guys in the dorm heard me hit the floor and got me back awake. My last thoughts were about my very young grand daughter and I thought to myself "I hope my wife tells her good things about me". I was 55 at the time. Too young to die but I almost got it done.

kwg