Heroes

He returned from Iraq a morsel of what he was

Paraplegic and helpless

He returned to Margaret

His wife of 13 years.

She bought a hospital bed

And bathed him daily

She gave him massages to help circulation

She cooked his special diet

She combed his hair and brushed his teeth

She brought the bed pan and urinal

She read stories to him from his favorite books

Lifted his head with pillows to watch television

And watched the shows he liked

Even Sunday football that she detested

 

She cut his fingernails and shaved him daily

She washed and ironed his sheets

Ever cautious of germs and infections

She cut his food in small portions

And fed him, each bite lifted to his lips

She religiously administered his medications

Each dose exactly on the prescribed hour

She turned him regularly in the bed

To avoid the danger of bed sores

She made daily efforts to make him laugh

And see some shadow of hope

And when he suddenly died in his sleep

He was given a military funeral with the great error

Of calling him the hero instead of her

Reviews

[Imagine Blade]

I'm a nurse and I can't help but sympathize how this woman feels.
It's hard to take care of a paralytic.

Hell.

It's hard to take care of any patient. More so if they have a debilitating condition like cancer, paralysis, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries and even heart problems.

No, I am not saying that it's hard physically. It's hard to take in the emotions you feel because of the fact that you're just human yet you're forced to face life and death in the different walks of life.

I salute this read. I will share this to my nurse friends.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

[DrD]

Please do share it. Heroes are made of greater things than arms and chants of war.

[Baby Ricochet]

This is the sort of writing I take real personally. As a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps who survived one tour of Afghanistan and two tours of Iraq and is typing with tears pouring down his face I thank you down to the last strand of DNA in my body for writing this. This is important and everyone on the WC needs to read this. We all didn't come home in one piece and neither did our families.

[DrD]

God bless you all.

[Elizabeth]

That's right. And from someone who deeply loves her USMC combat Vet, I know that many (all) have scars that you can't see with your eyes. He walks, talks and runs like he did before... but there are places in him that are raw. Places that will always be raw.

[DrD]

Many good things are left behind and remnants of the worst are brought home. That is the nature of war and the ignorance that causes it.

[Baby Ricochet]

I posted on the WC feed for everyone to read this and sent RR'S to all my friends. People need to see this. I haven't even written anything this straight to the heart about the war, I don't think I can. My heart would probably explode.

[Baby Ricochet]

Goddamn na, thank you. Just thank you.

[Elizabeth]

My dad, my grandfather... their wars still live inside them. When you love a Marine or a soldier, you learn to love his ghosts. You learn to be quiet with him when he needs it or let him break things when he needs to smash something. But your story is the ultimate heartbreak... and important for civilian families to hear.

[Tarry Franck]

Oh this hit home for me except it was my step-father in the end that we had to care for and had the same experiences. It's so sad to see them suffer and know there's nothing you can do to change it. You can only be there and give them what they need. They are both hero's. My heart goes out to anybody that has to deal with such situations.

[quinfinn]

nurses, good ones, are nothing less than angels of mercy and they are so underappreciated in society. i had a hard time reading this , but only because i have been to too many bedsides of mutilated and dying friends and loved ones in my life. this write was very realistic and beautifully constructed for maximum effect without being in poor taste. wonderful.....

[DrD]

Thanks for your visit. I'm always glad to see you here.

[Eve]

When I was nineteen I had the immense pleasure of caring for a wonderful person who had been in an auto accident and could not move from the shoulders down and his hands where curled and useless so I had to feed him as well, he had such beautiful eyes and such a great sense of humor, I think it was then that I really learned to appreciate someones humor above all else. wonderful poem.

[DrD]

You're a gem, Myth. Thanks so much.

[Eve]

thank you for reminding me of him, that was a loooooooooong time ago. lol

[SHEEMA HUQ]

This poem is very clever and very moving, your careful listing of each process of his ' very end of life' period was very effectively construed, thanks.

[luviva]

just soo emotional, she was such a caring lady en she really was a hero to him, but those who gave him the military funeral calling him a hero, they were ryt coz he was a hero to the military en she was a hero to him. only if he lived to call her his hero. just soo good;.. en thanxx for sharing.

[WingsToFly]

Well, I don't know what to say. To me, it wasn't about war, or warriors, but shows a side of our world/society, how we overlook the sacrifices of such people, we consider small. It reminds me of, don't know how will all of you respond to it, but the tragedy of Malala Yousuf Zai, the world can see and appreciate her courage and sympathize with her and he family, but from where Malala came from, there were too many others who've gone through more than that, wish the world would care to find out. Don't mean to begin a debate, you're poem's just thought-provoking. Nice read.

[DrD]

Thank you very much. Please visit again soon.

[Marie]

This is a great story. It wasn't an error that they called him a hero--the error was in not naming her one also.
People like that never call themselves heros...

[J. J. Nightingale]

There was more than one hero .. one praised and one unsung ..

I bet she never even thought of herself that way ..

All she knew, was that she loved ..

Thoughts to ponder .. Jazz

[DrD]

Thanks, my J girl.