It can be difficult when you are living the life of a soldier. Most people don’t have any idea what they go through on a day by day basis. When they put their lives into that type of dedication of time and energy, it can lead to some experiences that many of us will never go through. It has the possibility of breaking their spirit and their lives can be changed irrevocably from that point forward. It can happen to any one of them, and in this true-life story, it happened to a soldier named Josh Marino.
Josh served in the US military but when he came home from the war in Baghdad, he was having a very difficult time. He was like many other veterans who now suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and he had no idea what his life was going to be like now that he was home again. When you have a physical wound, it is easy to see but in the case of Josh and many others, it was a mental wound that often goes unnoticed and unfortunately, unaided.
Josh thought back to those difficult days:
“One day there was a mortar attack and mortar exploded no more than ten feet to my right. I suffered traumatic brain injury and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. A lot of us come home without realizing that we are bringing the war home with us. In a lot of cases, it’s an invisible wound that no one can see.”
When it became more difficult to live his day-to-day life, he decided that enough was enough:
“I took out one of my knives, set it to the side. I wrote a letter up on my computer and set it there on the desktop.”
Josh stepped out in the rain for a final cigarette. He was suffering from pain, fear and had a hopeless sensation that he couldn’t shake. It was then that something caught his eye from the nearby bushes.
It was a little black kitten that jumped out and came up to Josh.
“He just walked up and started rubbing against my leg and let me pet him. I broke down crying, burst into tears. Maybe he knew there was something I couldn’t quite handle.”
The kitten provided exactly the amount of distraction that he needed and it was just in time. Josh had been thinking about how he was going to end his life and now he was just thinking about what he could do to help the stray. Ever since that night, Josh is in the habit of taking out food into his backyard every day for the kitten and letting the cat take a nap.
The kitten was still a stray but he named him Scout. It was a small gesture that gave Josh purpose and helped to restore his faith in himself. Eventually, he was confident enough both mentally and physically to be in a relationship.
The life story of Josh showed a definite turn for the better but within a few months, Scout was missing. Despite the fact that he would call him several times, Josh noticed that the kitten was nowhere in his yard.
He couldn’t seem to shake the memories he had of Scout and as he and his girlfriend went into adoption center at Fort Riley Stray Animal Shelter. They were hoping that they could add a little something to their family. He ended up finding something that was beyond amazing.
“All of a sudden a little black and white paw shoots out from a crate and starts smacking me in my left arm. I looked inside, it is the same little black and white cat. I opened up that cage, and I pulled him out, and I held him tight.”
Finally, Josh and Scout were reunited, despite the odds. Josh then began eating healthy, exercising more and he quit smoking. He even went to get his masters degree in counseling so that he could help other veterans.
Josh had a life that was heading in the wrong direction but thanks to a small feline, everything turned around. You can see more in this video:
