The morning sun cast long shadows across the parking lot of the Phoenix VA Medical Center as 68-year-old Staff Sergeant Frank Morrison slowly maneuvered his wheelchair accessible van into the designated handicapped parking space. The modified vehicle, with its lowered floor and wheelchair lift, represented more than just transportation. It was Frank’s lifeline to independence after losing both legs to an IED explosion in Fallujah 21 years ago.

Frank’s weathered hands, marked by decades of service and sacrifice, carefully positioned his Purple Heart license plate to be clearly visible as he activated the van’s wheelchair lift. The mechanical horror of the equipment was a sound he had grown accustomed to, though it still served as a daily reminder of the price he had paid for his country’s freedom. At 68, Frank carried himself with the dignity of three generations of Marines. His father had served in Korea, his grandfather in World War II, and Frank himself had dedicated 20 years to the core, before that fateful day in Iraq when his world changed forever.