Huffington Magazine Issue 67 | Page 45

HUFFINGTON 09.22.13 INVISIBLE CASUALTIES guilt, an agony of regret. Anger. And the unanswerable questions: How could this have happened? How did we get to this point? What was my own part in this? Where did I fail? Frantically searching for the understanding that will never come. Slowly, over the months, he has built a small space of acceptance, of peace. With the help and support of many others, he works at enlarging that space. He survives. To pass him on the street, to exchange neighborly pleasantries, you would not glimpse his torment. But in coming to this part of the story, the moment his son hung up the phone, Don falters and goes silent, eyes downcast. A long pause. Then he looks up at me, one father to another, and his eyes are luminous with pain. “I knew,” he said. It was three hours, though, before it was off X