As the son of an Army Master Sergeant, I was not encouraged to join the Army, but in 1985, I did with my three younger brothers following suit in time. I am the oldest of the four but the last to step onto the battlefield.  With my recent return from FOB Shank in Afghanistan, we have all seen the horrors of war. My journey to this project started long ago. My time has been unequally split between the Active Component, Reserve Component, and National Guard. I left the Army in 2003 after learning my Tank company would wage war from a HMMWV instead of the 70 tons of steel we were accustomed to. I was direct commissioned as a 1LT in 2011 and was assigned to a Forward Surgical Team. At the second battle assembly I learned we were going to Afghanistan.  I was thrilled, knowing all three of my brothers had “been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.” I had trained all my life to wage war as a member of the combat arms community but now, as an Army Registered Nurse, that time was over. Now it was time to heal and save lives. Living and working in RC-East provided our FST with many opportunities to save lives. I often thought of my wife Angela, and our children Liam and Olivia, at home, without Dad, having to live their lives the best they could. They sacrificed a lot for me and they are my heroes.