Courage Worth Striving For Essay -- Personal Narrative War Strength Pa

Courage Worth Striving ForPlacing one bag in front of the other, I climbed the twisted, broken down staircase of the abide Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The year was 1973, and I didnt wish to be on these stairs, growing closer and closer to an un accreditn solid ground that frightened me. I didnt want to witness the things I inevitably would come upon and hear throughout the next few hours. Can I actually handle this? I thought to myself. It didnt really matter anymore. As a medic in the Vietnam Era, and I had soldiers depending on me to tend to their wounds and care for their injuries. As I neared the top, I gained sight of a heavy, thick, white door with a window in the center of it. What was on the other side of that door? I knew there was pain, suffering, and dying. For a mowork forcet, I thought about the men who had managed to survive thus far and who were now lying in hospital beds severely injured and bedridden, completely dependent on the care that was c ondition to them. These men had wives, children, and other family members wishing desperately they would recover from the wounds they had encountered in Vietnam and pass by to life as they knew it before the contend. Some of these men would never go to life as they had bopn it previously, with the reality of amputation and other life-altering discreetnessments taking place as a customary and common practice. I wondered if I was watchful for this. The self-inflicted weight on my shoulders grew progressively heavier step by step. Those same family members hoping their love ones would live had me to put their trust in. Me. As a trained medic, I was confident that I had the head knowledge I needed to treat the soldiers that had been flown in from Vietnam, as long as I wasnt distra... ...ing this story did non cause me to become a pacifist and reject the concept of war completely. I realize how horrendous war is, especially after hearing about my fathers patient in room twelve. However, I feel it is flat more appalling to ignore situations that are worse than war, such as the situation in Germany that evoked World War II. It is my belief that soldiers who consume seen war value peace more than any pacifist because they know the cost. I now view my own life differently. If that soldier could articulate again, I would imagine his message would be to take each solar day not as a guarantee, but as a gift. subsequently hearing my fathers story, my advice is this- do not take life for granted. You never know when you will be forced to find a new prudence of strength you never even imagined you possessed and surrender your life for your cause, your beliefs, or your country.