LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The U.S. strikes on Iran this weekend are drawing mixed reactions across the country, but for one Lubbock veteran, they carry a deeply personal meaning.
Tim Seely was present in 1996 when Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists detonated 5,000 pounds of explosives near the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. The attack killed 19 U.S. Air Force personnel and injured more than 400 people.
Seely recalled the moment the blast hit.
“Can’t remember the time frame on it, I know it was right around 9:50. I bent down to put my cigarette butt out on the sole of my shoe and then the lights flickered twice and the blast hit,” Seely said. “I know I made my way back toward my dorm to get back in uniform and that’s when a lot of the injured started coming out of the blast site. Of course I started helping out with first aid buddy care there, and then I ran back to the armory and started to issue weapons to our law enforcement and security forces there to secure the base.”
The Air Force was in Saudi Arabia in 1996 as part of “Operation Southern Watch”, enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq following the Gulf War.
Hezbollah meant the attack to kill as many Americans as possible.
Seely survived the attack physically, but said he left the Middle East with mental scars that affected him for decades.
“To this day unexpected loud bangs make me very jumpy and I have learned to cope the best I can with that. It’s just always on your mind,” he said.
Seely said the recent U.S. strikes on Iran are not unprovoked — they are part of the ongoing fight against terror.
“To me when people say ‘well they weren’t actively attacking us’, to me it’s not a matter of if they’re actively attacking us, it’s a matter of when is the next attack going to happen,” Seely said.
He also described the strikes as a form of retribution for the lives lost and the trauma left behind at Khobar Towers.
“I still live with that day today. So it’s kind of some redemption, if you will, for the people that attacked us — they’re getting something in return,” he said.
Seely said he is now using his experience to encourage veterans and first responders to seek mental health support, which was not always something presented as an option previously.
“I waited. I don’t recommend it. I recommend getting that help and I will push veterans, I will talk to veterans and say, ‘hey don’t be afraid’. You’re brought up to be a man, don’t let that stuff bother you. You’re going to bottle that up. Go get the help,” Seely said.
The Lubbock VA Clinic offers mental health services. A free, confidential hotline is also available 24/7 for veterans in need. That number is 988.
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