Ignore Me Like You Mean It

This is a word that we use to describe people that have seen things, done things, and are experienced in certain fields. A lot of times it's something we use to describe a charity or a man or woman with military experience behind him. What people don't see when they say this word are the things that go on behind closed doors. They don't see the old man suffering from dementia, thinking he's still a flight nurse in Vietnam, and threatening to kill himself because he just doesn't want to see another body. They don't see the young man who isn't even thirty yet, but has to wake his wife up every morning to tie his shoes because he was hit with an improvised explosive device while deployed. They miss the ulcers, the stomach aches, and the sleepless nights due to medication and side affects, and they aren't around when a veteran is walking the streets at 3 a.m. looking for someplace warmer to sleep than the park bench he was chased off of. We see you