Us Army Er Nurse

US ARMY, ER NURSE They are not the “War Fighter Soldiers” yet they have seen more blood than most. They wear the gladiator garb, stand tall at taps in stiff salute to flag at end of day. They hear the screams of war’s demands, exacted without prejudice, see only war’s true colors in the drying shades of red. They see the mother’s faces as they speak unknowing words, treat the wounds of innocence incased in harsher world. They are a soldier’s last defense against war’s final tally, the nurses that will care for them, become their final ally. They suffer from the pangs of war, its loneliness and fear. Return to us with hardened hearts that could no longer bear the sights and sounds of war’s contemptuous disdain. They carry wounds that can’t be seen, save for their tortured faces, hide their memories, and pain, in duties failed embraces. John G. Lawless 7/30/2014 For Carol Eastman Unsung Hero Contest