up.
He removed a second document from the envelope.
It was an official battalion history record.
At the top was Thomas’s name.
Underneath it was a description of the evacuation.
It stated that he had returned to the medical ward several times under enemy fire to assist in the rescue of wounded personnel.
It also listed the names of the people who had helped.
My name was there.
Quinn Braddock.
Staff Sergeant.
Army Nurse Corps.
I read the line twice.
Then I noticed something beneath it.
A handwritten note.
The
blue-and-white insignia was presented to Staff Sergeant Braddock by Lieutenant Hale in recognition of her service to the men of the unit. It is not a souvenir. It is a reminder of the people she helped bring home.
I closed my eyes.
Thomas had never told me that anyone had written this down.
I had thought the moment was forgotten.
Apparently, it wasn’t.
Whitaker turned toward Reese.
“Sergeant, read that note.”
Reese stepped closer.
He read it silently.
Then he read it again.
His face had changed completely.
He looked
