Through the eyes of a soldier

I love Washington DC. There is incredible history here. Chosen by President George Washington himself as the location for the capital city, DC has evolved through many hardships. From the War of 1812 known as the "Burning of Washington" to the civil war in 1861. The abolishment of slavery on April 16, 1862 to the assassination of President Lincoln on April 14, 1865 in Ford's Theater. From the "I Have a Dream" speech of Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 to the September 11, 2001 attacks that crashed a plane into the Pentagon and put another plane in a field in Pennsylvania intended for either the White House or the U.S. Capital.

With each instance, the city has grown, forged ahead and found new meaning with the underlying notion that we are free: Free to choose how we live; free to love; free to worship in the ways that we see fit; free to make decisions and voice those decisions outwardly without having to succumb to a tyrannical leader. These freedoms have been brought to us though years of struggle. These freedoms have been seen through by great men and women and their memorials line DC at every turn. Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, the White House, U.S. Capital building, Roosevelt, Pentagon, and every other memorial building proves that their are great men that have need of being mentioned, but the greatest of all, are not just embodied in these memorials. They are the ones that are honored over hills stretched for what seems like infinite miles. Each stone telling a story of bravery, suffering, desire, love, honor and pride. These are the men that are often forgotten. No one doubts that General Washington was a great man, that Lincoln honored his country, or that Jefferson's wisdom was enough to propel this great country into becoming the greatest land on earth, but the muscle behind the men, the ones that see through their desires and ideals are those men and women buried in those hills. These soldiers are the reason that we have our rights, they are the reason that this land is free and that we can choose for ourselves. Let us remember them always and what their sacrifices do for us. David, I thank you!

Whatever doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. David is living proof of this. His desire to be better than he was before is heroic. Hero's are those we wish to emulate, and David is one of those. He is working extremely hard to progress through all of his struggles, and when he overcomes this obstacle, what a great man he will have become. We will all want to be more like him.

Being with David over the last couple of days and seeing all of those young men and women that have paid the price for my freedom is humbling. I love this country because I can, and I can because of Soldiers like David. I have never been emotional and standing amongst the ones that have given their lives even brought tears to my eyes. Our freedoms, country, families and own lives are protected by these great people and I have no doubt that David will be able to fulfill all of desires of his heart. He honors his country now as he continues his road to recovery. As each step is conquered, he gets one day closer to getting his legs. Today his pick line was removed and an ultra violet treatment looks to be speeding up the process of overcoming the wounds that just won't close. I watched tentatively afterword as he pulled his way in and out of the vehicle multiple times. With each grimace I felt the pride, love and desire he has; for failure is not an option. As he continues to strengthen his core, his stamina increases. I watched him use the hand bike twice as long as he did the previous day and appeared to blow through it even though the setting was higher than he had ever done before. Drive, desire, strength, and power will forever be ingrained in my mind. David is doing well, he will make everyone he comes in contact with proud to be an American.

A humble civilian seeing life through the eyes of a soldier,

Kevin Crowley, Brother-In-Law to the soldier that brings you these freedoms.