A Joke About A Helicopter Revealed A Past They Never Expected

that distinctive rising pitch that sounds like a banshee waking up. The rotors began to turn, slowly at first, then faster. The whole airframe shuddered as systems came online.

I closed my eyes for just a moment, and I was back in Afghanistan.

The memory hit me like it always did—sudden, unwanted, visceral.

My co-pilot Martinez screaming through the continue reading …