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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Seely recalled the moment the blast hit. <\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t 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,\u201d Seely said. \u201cI know I made my way back toward my dorm to get back in uniform and that\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Air Force was in Saudi Arabia in 1996 as part of \u201cOperation Southern Watch\u201d, enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq following the Gulf War. <\/p>\n
Hezbollah meant the attack to kill as many Americans as possible. <\/p>\n
Seely survived the attack physically, but said he left the Middle East with mental scars that affected him for decades. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo this day unexpected loud bangs make me very jumpy and I have learned to cope the best I can with that. It\u2019s just always on your mind,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Seely said the recent U.S. strikes on Iran are not unprovoked \u2014 they are part of the ongoing fight against terror. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo me when people say \u2018well they weren\u2019t actively attacking us\u2019, to me it\u2019s not a matter of if they\u2019re actively attacking us, it\u2019s a matter of when is the next attack going to happen,\u201d Seely said. <\/p>\n
He also described the strikes as a form of retribution for the lives lost and the trauma left behind at Khobar Towers. <\/p>\n
\u201cI still live with that day today. So it\u2019s kind of some redemption, if you will, for the people that attacked us \u2014 they\u2019re getting something in return,” he said. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\u201cI waited. I don\u2019t recommend it. I recommend getting that help and I will push veterans, I will talk to veterans and say, \u2018hey don\u2019t be afraid\u2019. You\u2019re brought up to be a man, don\u2019t let that stuff bother you. You\u2019re going to bottle that up. Go get the help,\u201d Seely said. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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