I am who I am today because of the uniform

Canton, MO

1967, two years in college. I enlisted in the military. finished basic. I was already trained as an OR tech. I went to survival school and jump school, then was put on a team and went to Vietnam as a combat medic/OR tech attached to the Green Berets north of Quantri for a year-plus. Many stories I still cannot talk about. Came home without the rest of the unit, 2 weeks later I learned the unit had all been killed in an overrun by the Viet Cong even though there were Red Crosses visible. I had a 14-year break in service and became an Advanced Practice Nurse Anesthetist. 1984, received a commission as 2ndLT. and in 1990 served with the 8th EVAC during Desert Storm. I had returned to the uniform and felt I owed my country a little more, until in 2004 I finished as a Lt.Col. I know now that the uniform molded me into the man I am today, with respect and love for God and Country.

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