By Mark W. Danielson
I recently underwent hand surgery to repair a trauma
injury. The surgery went fine, the pain
was manageable, but the lessons learned will always stay with me.
Being right-handed, losing use of this hand posed many
challenges, and throughout each of them I kept thinking about our wounded
warriors. Of course my situation was
temporary, but for them, getting by with missing limbs became their new
reality. Throughout my experience, the
simplest tasks such as showering, combing hair, flossing and brushing teeth,
buttoning pants and shirts, slipping on coats and shoes were extremely challenging,
especially since I had a club hand. Surprisingly,
putting socks on was one of the most frustrating events. Wearing boots eliminated any troubling shoe laces.
My wife constantly offered her assistance, but each time I
thanked her and reminded her that this was a great lesson in humility. It was important for me to bear with my
struggles to get a smidgen of understanding about how difficult it must be for
these young kids and their families when they return home mangled from a futile
war. Yes, our wounded warriors are the
forgotten ones. They don’t get counted
in death tolls, and wait months or years to get benefits while our government
throws money at foreign countries and illegal immigrants. No doubt some will say these soldiers knew
the risks when they signed up. I say
they deserve far more respect and financial aid than we give them.
I have had the privilege to hear some of these wounded warriors
speak and am always impressed by their dignity and pride. They do not whimper publicly or place blame. Instead, they speak of being lucky to have
made it back alive. Most take accept
their condition and take on new challenges.
Some even learn to fly specially modified airplanes to free them from
their bonds. Don’t feel sorry for them. Embrace them and learn.
I salute these veterans and wish them my best. Each and every one of them faces tough battles
ahead. Please remember them, and consider
donating to the Wounded Warriors, USO, Homes for Heroes, or other worthy
veterans organizations before they are forgotten.
Wounded Warriors Project: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=675&campaignSource=CDRO&source=BS14039
USO:
Homes for Heroes:
4 comments:
Good piece, Mark. Helps us put things in perspective.
Thank you, Paul. These days we need perspective on a lot of subjects. Our returning veterans, especially those who have come home wounded, should never be forgotten.
This post really touched my heart. Makes me ashamed that I ever complain about anything.
Thanks, Jackie. To add to your comment, I consider myself privileged to pay taxes because it means I'm employed. By the same token, my daily aches and pain is preferable to being dead. Those of us who are fortunate to have all our limbs are indeed living well. :)
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