America paid tribute to its war veterans over the weekend with ceremonies, concerts and solemn gatherings across the nation. Washington D.C. was the scene of a particularly stirring tribute, the twentieth annual PBS National Memorial Day Concert held outside the Capitol rotunda. Many in the audience were moved to tears by the incredible story of one veteran, Jose Pequeño, a New Hampshire National Guardsman and former Marine who was critically injured by a grenade tossed into his Humvee in Iraq. The driver was killed, and Pequeño, brought to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury, was not expected to live. But he did, miraculously, and with the loving and dedicated care of his mother and sister, he began a years-long recuperation that has included 17 surgeries and a sometimes excruciating regimen of physical therapy. Initially, doctors predicted that Pequeño, who lost two lobes of his brain in the attack, would live out his life as a vegetable. But he astounded medical opinion and his family by uttering the single word, "Mom!" when his mother caressed him during an early bedside visit. We Must All Pitch In Actresses Diane Wiest and Katie Holmes told the dramatic story of Pequeño's long and difficult road back, and of how his mother and sister had dedicated their lives to his care. This is a responsibility in which all Americans can share, another speaker, Colin Powell, told the audience. The former Secretary of State and four-star general urged viewers and those in attendance to reach out to neighbors with sons or daughters who require special care because of injuries sustained in war. The government cannot give caregivers all of the assistance they need, said Powell - "they need more help from people like us." The PBS show was one of the most moving and memorable
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