Jacksonville veteran shares coming home story as President Biden announces withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

Jacksonville, FL. — President Joe Biden announced he will withdraw all remaining United States troops from Afghanistan.

In the nation’s longest war, his plan is to pull them out by this September 11 – marking twenty years of the attacks, which were coordinated from Afghanistan.

Right now about 2,500 remain overseas in Afghanistan at one point, veteran Chris Esslinger was one of them.

He spent two years in total there and now is fortunate he found Five Star Veterans Center, he said while adjusting to home life has been tough, knowing you served your country is the greatest honor one could achieve.

Six years in the military including two tours in Afghanistan for Esslinger and not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about moving forward with his new life.

“When you’re on edge for a year at a time, super observant and vigilante about everything and you come home you’re the same way,” he said.

His time on the front lines in the infantry made him question whether he’d make it home at all.

“We go out everyday and you never know, war is so random and quick it could happen at any moment,” he said.

The plan is to get the 2,500 overseas troop home by the September 11. Esslinger says the plane ride home will give the current troops goosebumps.

“They will have the same pride as every solider deployed over there you come back with a certain pride that you served your country and you did it with honor,” Esslinger said.

As PTSD remains an ongoing battle, Esslinger encourages troops to seek guidance and not wait a few years like he did; making the struggles of returning home easier.

“By doing so, I lost a lot of years of progress and spent a lot of times down rather than moving forward,” he said.

Now, Esslinger is teaching golf, one of his biggest passions; he says doing what he loves and finding something so therapeutic made it that much easier in his return home.

Cox Media Group