Daniel Brown/Business Insider
FORT BLISS, Texas - I wanted to ask the soldiers about their stories.
I wanted to ask them why they joined the service, if and where they had been deployed, what their experiences were like overseas, what it was like coming home, and more.
But it was difficult.
I only had a few chances to speak to individual soldiers in-depth as I toured a number of different weapons systems during my trip to Fort Bliss.
The conversations were sometimes difficult. "I feel like a d--k for asking those questions," I told one of the public affairs officers after interviewing one officer who became emotional while describing an incident in Afghanistan. "But I think it's important for people to know these things."
"Yes, it is," the PAO said.