Sleeping to the sound of gun fires and bombs, delivering babies in a refugee shelter with kitchen utensils, walking two miles with a bucket to get water; these are the stories of my friend Salma, an Afghan refugee. This made me realize how much I am privileged to live under the protection of the U.S. military. The idea of becoming a military medical officer first crossed my mind when I heard that my friend who was deployed to Afghanistan got injured and was sent to Germany to get treated. Followed by shock, guilt was what I felt. I was taking the security that was provided through the sacrifices of young soldiers for granted. I felt a strong desire and obligation to give back to our country by serving the medical needs to the people who protect
