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The Defense Department honors the courage of wounded, ill or injured service members, and highlights the programs that support their return to duty or transition to the civilian community.
“There must never pass a day in our nation or at the Department of Defense when we do not provide our wounded, injured, and ill service members the best possible care and support. They have done their patriotic duty; they are neither diminished nor dependent, even as we help them bring new strength to bear. In their eyes we see the best of our country’s fighting spirit. We are inspired by their strength in recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration back to duty or transition into civilian community.”
Marine Corps veteran Sgt. Toran Gaal poses for photo with his custom surfboard which allows him to surf despite being a double amputee during the Naval Medical Center San Diego surf therapy clinic in Del Mar, Calif., Sept. 14, 2017. DoD photo by EJ Hersom