
Freedom isn’t free, but
freedom ain’t what it used to be.
To enjoy it, you need a history of threats,
to know them bone-deep,
how to disorient,
how to fight to the death.
You fought for peace?
There will never be peace again.
Not when the war is everywhere —
every school, every stage,
every safe place.
It seeps into your blood.
You are never the same.
But at least you’re trained
for the next one.
Richard M. Fierro, who served for 15 years in the military, was at the nightclub in Colorado Springs with his family when the gunman opened fire. “I just knew I had to take him down,” he said. — Nov. 21, 2022, New York Times
Mr. Fierro was trying to get better at going out. In Iraq and Afghanistan he’d been shot at, seen roadside bombs shred trucks in his platoon, and lost friends. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star.
The wars were both past and still present. There were things he would never forget. For a long time after coming home, crowds put him on edge. He couldn’t help to be vigilant. In restaurants he sat against the wall, facing the door. No matter how much he tried to relax, part of him was always ready for an attack, like an itch that could not be scratched.