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.

[Marie Anzalone]

This is why I say, if we are going to use war as a tool for resolving international conflict, we had better make sure the cause is worth the asking price. There are 100 ways to lose someone to war... and many experience this private horror of becoming caretaker to a lover or spouse's body and/or mind. Entie famileis and communites, on both sides, deal with horrors they are ill-equipped to face. I lost a fiancee to PTSD, alcoholism and rage, also thanks to Iraq. Your story strikes me as one that needed to be told. Kudos on a tale powerfully whispered.

[DrD]

Thank you, Marie. We share the same opinion about this topic

[Marie Anzalone]

if you are interested in the story I mentioned, check out my chapter "wreaths" in my collection "Pilgrimage in Epistles"

[Romantic old soul]

wow. Horror beautifully told. What I mean is, you uncovered beauty in a horrible situation. Beauty being the loyalty this woman possessed to her husband and to the military. At the same time you have exposed the realities of war and also the realities of being a military wife. These women are often forgotten, you have paid a great tribute to them through this story.
Ver beautiful.

[Salar Majak]

wow, chilling, brings out the hatered of war in an undirectly, the hope his wifew had in her heart, the prayers, the death, the funeral, all chilling, it's beautiful, thanks DrD