My presentation centered on a question that sounds simple, but is anything but simple for many who have worn the uniform: “What’s the True Definition of a Veteran?” Not the definition outsiders see. Not the definition written in law. But the definition veterans see when they look in the mirror.

“They teach us how to go to war. They teach us how to fight. But they don’t teach us how to come home,”

“Alive” is relative. “Why did you fall asleep at the wheel?” “Why were you so tired?” “Were you just getting off shift?” “Had you been up all night?” All valid questions, asked ad nauseum. My answer: I shrug my shoulders. It’s a pitfall of being a juggler, front and center, in the largest ongoing three-ring circus in the world—the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Johnnie L. Gilpen Jr., MS, MHS, PA-C CAQ (EM) NRP https://thewarhorse.org/you-have-not-seen-the-last-of-these-marines/ Please click on the link above to read the story. You Have Not Seen the Last of These Marines was the first of three reflections I wrote for The War Horse Journal (WHJ) ( https://thewarhorse.org/ ). In 2019, I was selected as a War Horse Combat Medic and Corpsman Writing Fellow. The War Horse Journal’s Seminar for Veterans and Military Families is more t