Be aware of the heroes not asking for praise.

They are the ones we owe the most.

I learned about the horrors of war at the bedside.

24 hours a day wounded service-members would arrive on the tarmac en route to my DC military hospital returning from 'the Sandbox' after their stabilization at hospitals in Europe.

They arrived without clothes; without personal items.

Still heavily under the influence of narcotics, and unable to fully understand where they were or what was happening to them.

I was 24 years old, and most of my patients were younger than I was.

My team would arrive with backpacks, music players, changes of clothes, deodorant, soap and words of encouragement.

I remember saying things like:

"You were so lucky"
"Don't worry; you're safe now."
"Everything is going to be okay"

And in the months that followed, I would watch as they struggled and overcame adversity in the form of

• PTSD,

• depression,

• suicidal ideation,

• debilitating brain injuries,

• amputations and physical trauma

and the worst of all - survivor's guilt.

I would assist in their care, comfort their spouses and hug their children - while of course, continuing to greet new arrivals with more backpacks and more platitudes.

There were always new arrivals.

War creates physical damage and injuries to the soul that scab and eventually scar, but never perfectly heal.

Was the benefit gained worth their scars or the sacrifice of those who never came home?

I don't know, and I don't think that's for me to decide.

As a medical professional and as a human, I still grieve.

And I still pray for a dissolution of hate for the benefit of all of us - for soldiers, civilians and society.

My perspective has changed somewhat over time. I now recognize that there is hope in the midst of this grief - in the bravery exemplified in the choice itself.

Our military personal and our veterans have chosen to serve with courage and the willingness to sacrifice themselves for others.

It’s the highest form of love and that alone is inspiring.

The veterans in my life have made me a better person, not in spite of their service, but strictly because of it.

Willingly sacrificing yourself for others, for a cause, for something bigger than you are *might* change the world for the better, but it's not guaranteed. What IS guaranteed is that the choice changes YOU.

Thank you to the veterans who were brave enough to be willing to sacrifice for me, for my girls, for all of us.

I admire you.
I am inspired by you.
I am forever grateful.

Tiffany