Afghan Rising

At first encounter, Ramon Garcia comes off as a mild mannered citizen but as he keeps talking we soon get a sense that he’s a deeper ocean of complexities. Ramon was both kind and candid in relaying his experiences in Afghanistan. Mr. Garcia was a Counter Intelligence Agent for the US army who served in Afghanistan. He was initially deployed there just a few months after 9/11 in early 2002. He then returned in 2005 and 2008. So needless to say he’s had ample experience and exposure to the Afghan social and political climate as a “Boots on the ground” US soldier. Ramon was extremely honest as he recounted various incidents during his interactions with the various Afghan character types, ex-Taliban commanders, tribe leaders, civilians etc… Ramon’s amazing anecdotal stories are not just filled with candor but also a surprisingly vulnerable insightful take on war and it’s effects on us humans. One of my favorite soul enhancing moments during this interview was getting Ramon Garcia’s take on PTSD. Hearing this made the entire interview a worthwhile endeavor.