Posted by Friends of Veterans
Philip McTigue never misses a chance to relay a funny story about his time in Afghanistan or any of the other numerous theaters and experiences he has served in. For obvious reasons Philip McTigue of NY leaves out many details, like who he was working for, what exactly they were doing in the remote locations he found himself in and the names of those who were with him. By August 2008 Philip McTigue of NY had left Spin Boldak Afghanistan and moved to a different location in Sheberghan, Afghanistan. One of his good friends from Spin had accompanied him only identified as ‘Irish’.
But as Philip McTigue broaches two subjects he ceases to be jovial and carefree and becomes a reflective man who is obviously more haunted by his past than initially revealed. His first revelation is that his hero growing up was his grandfather who served 36 years in the Navy and was a veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor. His grandfather served the entire war in the Pacific campaign taking part in the Battle of Midway, Guadalcanal and Okinawa. Philip McTigue was raised on ‘funny stories’ his grandfather told at the dinner table during family visits of his years in World War II. It wasn’t until Philip McTigue joined the Marines and became a combat veteran of Desert Storm that his grandfather shared with him war stories he never told at the family dinner table. It becomes painfully obvious that Philip McTigue enjoys telling the same fun stories as his grandfather did before him. But the real stories come at a much higher price and are hard to extract from a battle-hardened Marine. Philip McTigue lights up when recalling stories about his grandfather, but he goes dark and slips into a shell once again when he starts to recall his own stories of war that are better left for those worthy of hearing them.
The second topic that clearly weighs heavily on Philip McTigue is the topic of the brotherhood, bonds, and friendships he forged while serving ten years in combat zones. Many of his friends did not make it home and it is clear Philip McTigue is uncomfortable with this topic. During Desert Storm, Philip McTigue lost a close friend and Marine in his platoon and he often speaks about how it influenced his decisions later in life to serve his Country once again after the attacks of 9/11. “I never forgot about Tommy and I had demons to exercise, the decision to go back to the war on behalf of Tommy was the easiest decision I ever made” explained Philip McTigue. Philip McTigue has tattoos in honor of friends who never made it home, including Tommy, but he rarely speaks of them saving those memories for his ‘brothers’ who served with them as he did. Philip McTigue, like many veterans who have returned from war finds sharing stories of war, conflict, fear and death among the topics better left for reunions with his brothers who he served with overseas.
Philip McTigue has led an incredible life and is one of the few fortunate people to maintain a close circle of four civilian friends from his days in high school. Philip McTigue explains, “The four of us have been the best man in all of our weddings, three of us married our high school sweethearts and two of us married sisters.” Thirty years later we are now each other’s children’s godfathers and our four families still vacation together twice a year. After his time in the Marine Corps Philip McTigue became a police officer in the Rochester, N.Y. and almost 20 years later still maintains very close friendships with many of his academy classmates, several who now are departmental Chiefs and Captains leading the department into new decades of police work. However, Philip McTigue shifts to a different gear when speaking of his brothers from his decade of warfare. Now many of them are ghosts from his past forever serving as a reminder of not only the good times, but the bad times as well.
It is at this moment in the conversation that Philip McTigue slips back to the topic of his friend Irish who accompanied him from Spin Boldak to Sheberghan. Coincidentally it is also when the fun jovial Philip McTigue returns. Ironically, it is also when Philip McTigue shared one of his classic funny stories about his friendship with Irish and their adventures in Sheberghan, Afghanistan.
Please stay tuned, the story will soon be posted in the next blog!
