You had it right with the war buddies. The war is the thing that has to be survived. Once it’s survived, there are no events that can ever allow the unspoken, unthinking bond again.

Self-awareness is a cursed gift, but even those who don’t have it or who run from it often know when a thing is done. The friends we need are the ones who listened to the agony and never turned away or pretended not to hear?