I have been writing for the Idaho Falls Post Register since August 8. Recently, I wrote a profile for the Post Register about Tyler Richins, a local high school football coach. He fought in Iraq from 2004-05 and has hardly told his family and friends anything about his difficult experiences at war.

Here is the story (Note: it’s behind a paywall), with the first section below:

Everything felt familiar to Tyler Richins as he watched the Shelley High School football team play Buhl one fall night in 2006.

The Friday night lights, the mouth-watering scent of barbecue, the fresh cut grass.

Richins felt at home.

Then Buhl scored its first touchdown. A celebratory cannon was fired. Richins instinctively fell to the grass.

“He hit the deck as if there was mortar fire going off,” says Travis Hobson, who stood next to Richins during the game.

Richins was on the sidelines, watching his father, Dwight, and his brother, Chase, try to lead Shelley to a road win. Richins’ mother, Allyson, was surprised when her son fell, but she knew he hated loud, unexpected noises. She knew Iraq was to blame.

She didn’t know much else about his United States Army tour. She still doesn’t.

In November of 2005, Richins, 31, departed Iraq and returned to eastern Idaho, where he grew up. He got married and had four children. He graduated from BYU-Idaho a year and a half ago. He’s in his first year as Sugar-Salem’s head varsity football coach. Most of his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from Iraq have dissipated.

Yet one thing remains the same: Richins’ family knows little about his war experiences.

“I don’t recall telling my family much about Iraq,” Richins says. “I don’t feel like they need to know.”