Leave no veteran behind: Surviving veterans and their caregivers

On Memorial Day, we honor the soldiers who are continuing to grapple with their combat injuries, and we honor their family and professional caregivers and advocates. These are the men whose stories have appeared here in the last year:

Army Sgt. 1st Class Chris Blaxton survived the blast from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Iraq. He has received help from the web site CaringBridge, his caregivers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and his niece, Anna Carncross.

Michael O'Neal, a veteran who served in Korea, has been cared for at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Army Staff Sergeant Brian Pearce survived in IED blast in Iraq. Dr. Kara Gagnon, director of low vision optometry at the West Haven, Connecticut veterans hospital, has been caring for him. The Blinded Veterans Association advocates on behalf of soldiers like Brian.

Sgt. Tony Wood, survivor of an explosion from an IED in Iraq, has been helped by the 10 in 10 Project, and the Warrior Transition Unit of Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii.