Dear Children,
I want to tell you about a hero. Her name is Nichole. Your mother and I met her for the first time on Monday, when she gave your mother a sonogram to check on the yet-to-born one of you two. She’s new to the practice that delivered the oldest of you two.
She came from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a hospital that, its website says, “provides health care and services to soldiers, their families, and a large community of military retirees.” She was a soldier and doctor, there.
The hospital had recently been in the news, unfortunately, because the Army had let the buildings fall into disrepair. This mismanagement was particularly galling because Walter Reed was full of soldiers injured in the Iraq War, a conflict that was also mismanaged, starting even with the call to start the conflict.
These things immediately came to mind when she mentioned her previous assignment, so I asked her if she had served in Iraq and if the war was why she left the military. She responded that she had served 6 months in Iraq (noting that that was a lot less than the usual 18 months) and, seemingly kind of sad, that there were many reasons for why she made the move, including her own three year old child and husband who still serves in the military.
Then I remembered that this Monday also happened to be Veterans’ Day. I wished her a happy Veterans’ Day. She, in turn, marveled. She expressed surprise that she had attained such a lofty position.
It seems to me that someone who was not only willing to serve in combat, but actually did serve in a combat zone, wouldn’t marvel at becoming a veteran. It seems to me that they would feel due. She must’ve long held in high regard others that had served and was humbled that she could have done what they had done. This is what makes her a hero in my eyes.
Service is impressive. Service under horrible circumstances is particularly impressive. But to be surprised that you could have so served is humble service. Humble service is more than just impressive; it’s heroic.
I’m grateful that you two will get to meet her.
Love,
Dad
