Hi,
I'm Barry Zworesteen and welcome to the audio of Which Way Is Your Warrior Facing?
An Operational Manual for Current Serving and Veterans Transitioning into Civilian Life.
Remember that you should not be leaving your warrior behind as you transition into civilian life.
Yes,
It would help if you learned to adjust and adapt to civilian territory.
Still,
The core values of the warrior and the wisdom gained from the military will not only inform and guide the civilian part of you,
But will make you a better man or woman.
Who you were can and should become a part of who you are now.
It should not be about getting stuck in the past,
But about allowing the past to inform the present.
Remember,
You carry the wisdom,
Strength and endurance of the warrior.
You will need to reclaim who you were and allow that part of you to coexist wherever you may now be in life.
Background,
1976-7,
The Rhodesian Bush War.
Within three weeks I transitioned from seven months patrolling in the Rhodesian Bush War back to university.
I felt fine.
That I was waking up constantly throughout the night and had body aches and headaches felt odd,
But I felt fine.
I had not been in constant contact as other units had been in.
I felt I had been a very average soldier.
Yes,
Our four-man stick had patrolled in areas with terrorists walking in very large groups.
Constant alertness and hypervigilance were normal after a while.
I still felt fine.
I had on one occasion pulled a man burning to death out of an ambush,
But I still felt fine.
I had come within a millisecond of killing four terrorists who were in fact farm workers.
I still felt fine.
Then the rest of my life followed.
A series of good journeys,
But also disasters that impacted me.
A few years ago I found my university student photo.
It had an impact on me.
I did not look fine at all.
I asked an old friend what his experience was of me at the time.
He described me as hyped up,
Tense and vigilant.
Today I cannot separate what is war-related and life-related in terms of aspects of what I carry.
Yet I have learned one thing.
There is no such thing as an unwounded veteran.
Whether you are operating on the ground,
In base camp,
Contacts or none,
It's not the killing or fighting that defines being a warrior.
It's entering the territory of the military.
Don't close your eyes to adjustment challenges.
Don't trivialize what you are facing.
You no longer need to lock stuff away.
It takes courage to meet your new journey as a civilian.
In the 1970s we just pushed forwards and now we have a generation of wounded rather than healed warriors.
This need not be your journey.
Make choices that reduce the possibility of negatively impacting your life and relationships.
Remember that your ability to see yourself and track yourself may not be your best strength.
I wish you all a successful transitioning process.
You are already everything that you need to be.
Stand proud as a warrior.
The world needs more of your kind.
Prelude.
A call to action.
There is a calling deep within the genetic coding of the caterpillar that its time has come to transform and leave the restricted confines of the chrysalis.
That emergence and transformation rely on sustaining the rigors of the struggle awaiting.
Returning to the security of its chamber or giving up is not an option.
Veterans or current serving,
Your time to transition will arrive.
You may walk into it by choice or it may walk into you.
To transition and transform will demand at times an intense struggle to reform and emerge from who you were and find whom you need to be.
You can blame and rage at those around you or the system or you can channel and focus your will and intent to only that which serves your transformation.
The choice you make will either imprison you in rage and blame or free you to transition into a new beginning.
Struggle,
Despair,
But do not step back or give up.
Rest,
But return to your calling.
Preface.
How to use this book.
I began by writing a book.
A simple book that would be informative and useful.
However,
Along the way what came to me was to create not just a book that would invite you to turn the pages,
But a process that would create opportunities for self-reflection and that this over time would become a record of your journey.
Which Way is Your Worryer Facing invites you to read and digest what you have read as well as pay attention to what it means to you.
It invites you to pay attention to your thoughts,
Feelings and memories.
It invites you to document and map out your process as you navigate your way through your transitioning territory.
This book may have begun with what I wrote,
But it will ultimately become the book you and I have written together as a team.
Your book will allow you to go backwards and forwards through your process and reflect on how your journey of transition changes and evolves to meet the variations of your territory.
This book will be,
In the end,
Your map and compass of your life.
It will be your story,
Not mine.
It will be something that you can share with selected others,
Whether it be through conversation or reading together.
It has the potential to move from my book to your book and then the book that others around you can contribute to in the process as you invite them in.
Remember that a good patrol is determined by the knowledge of the map you carry,
Your internal compass,
Which is your values and judgment,
The resources you equip yourself with to manage and survive and,
Most importantly,
The presence of others in your group or tribe.
The rules remain the same.
Teamwork,
Knowledge and the willingness to take the first step.
As with any good journey or patrol,
Travelling with others can increase capability and effectively complete your mission.
This book is therefore your mission.
