Dodging Bullets

I often tell people I grew up in the 'hood, and I did. It was not the safest place on earth. I remember hearing gunshots, though most were from the nearby shooting range, I saw blades flashed when tempers ran high and even had one held to my throat on several occasions. Kids were shot and killed, drugs were sold out on my street, neighbor's were robbed (so were we, come to think of it), and girls I knew were raped. Yet, despite it all, I never thought of myself as being in danger as I grew up in that area.
Fast-forward to the present. After spending six months in Afghanistan, I have a very different outlook about growing up in danger. At least, in the 'hoods of America, I'd like to believe that most parents look out for the well-being of their kids. That is not the case in Afghanistan. Parents there do not seem to pay attention to where their children are or what they are doing. They listen to the local Taliban and fail to give their children Polio vaccination, even though many of their children die of Polio every year. They allow their children to play in areas where they can get blown up by IEDs, shot during regularly occurring firefights, or kidnapped to be later used as suicide bombers. These children are in danger every day of their lives and they have no one to protect them. Often, it is their parents who jeopardize their safety and well-being.
As for me, I can't say I ever feared for my life, but I did hang out in bunkers more than I had ever expected to. The insurgents, with the use of a recoilless rifle, managed to shoot a 2 foot hole in the roof of the building I lived in and another in the office just behind mine. It was definitely an interesting time of life - one that I will never forget.