Resiliency in Wounded Warriors
This afternoon, I had the privilege of listening to one of our country's wounded warriors speak about the importance of employing people with disabilities. He was filled with energy and enthusiasm, and he approached his topic with a sense of humor. And even though the speech was about the benefits of hiring disabled veterans, I found myself listening for clues to his remarkable joy. Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris was wounded in 2007 in an IED attack that killed most of his team. He suffered deep burns over 35% of his body. He lost both of his ears and most of his hearing. He suffered facial disfigurement and lost several fingers. His spine and collar bone were broken. He was ultimately evacuated to a large military medical facility in the United States. There, he spent 48 days in a coma, and then three years in treatment and recovery. He was medically retired in 2010. Somewhere along the line, there must have been some very dark days. Extraordinary and courageous medical care p...