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Originally Posted by blue_eyedgirl
I have a close family member that has joined up and been serving for over a year now. We used to be very close but his personality has changed drastically since enlisting and he seems to slowly be pulling away from family and friends. Is this normal? Should I just give him his space or should I try to keep in contact and keep the lines of communication going? For those of you that have served or are currently serving was this your experience when you first joined up? He got to come home for a break recently and it was like being around a completely different person. The gentle fun loving person is now angry and quiet. I want to be there and offer support but not really sure what to do next.
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People grow and change, that is a good thing. Listen to him, talk to him, email, call, write him. Keep at it - he will come around. He is still the same person, he is just working through maturing and new emotions. His behavior sounds like he may have just returned from his first deployment? Or getting ready to go?
Deployments to other countries, especially the Middle East are eye openers for many. Its hard to come back where we have it so good, and listen to people complain how bad they think they have it here. He may be worried about his comrades in harms way.
Talk to him and see what he is angry about. Fear sometimes masks itself as anger. Let him know you care and ask him what he needs.