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 spo…