My Job Was Army Cook. But Ranger School Didn’t Care, and I Wasn’t Going Home Without a Tab
This article first appeared on The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service. Subscribe to their newsletter. I joined the Army as a cook, thinking it would keep me out of trouble. I wasn’t looking to be a hero; I just needed a reset. And the $35,000 bonus didn’t hurt. I figured […]
‘I Wasn’t Afraid to Die. I Was a Soldier’: Veteran Asks Heart Surgeon to Save Sentimental Tattoo During Transplant
Before his heart transplant, Louis Smith was prepared for death. In Saudi Arabia right after the Gulf War, the 66-year-old veteran helped lead a missile platoon that guarded aircraft. He served his country for more than two decades in the Middle East, South Korea and Europe. “I wasn’t afraid to die. I was a soldier,” […]