Margaret Houlihan

"Money concerns seem trivial when you're fighting to keep someone alive."

"Health care is a responsibility, not a luxury."

"Adventure is overrated when you're this exhausted."

"Imagination helps pass the long hours, but reality is unforgiving."

"I believe in the creative problem-solving that war demands."

"Patience with incompetence is not a virtue I possess."

"Death is a constant reminder of why we're here."

"Perseverance is the only currency that matters in war."

"I'm grateful for every soldier I can send back home alive."

"A woman's strength is her greatest asset in a man's Army."

"I've learned to separate my emotions from my duties."

"Truth is harder to find than you'd think in the chaos."

"Freedom to do my job well is all I ask for."

"I won't compromise on professional standards, period."

"Beauty fades, but competence endures."

"I respect authority when it's earned, not just handed down."

"Love is a distraction I can't afford, though it finds me anyway."

"Change happens whether you're ready or not."

"Success is measured by lives saved, not promotions earned."

"Happiness is too big a word. I settle for contentment."

"Hope is what I feel when I see a soldier improve."

"Courage looks different on everyone."

"My family would hardly recognize me now."

"Friendships forged here are unlike any you'll have elsewhere."

"Education prepared me for medicine, not for this."

"Knowledge is power, and I collect both."

"Time is the one luxury none of us have."

"The truth will set you free, but not before it makes you uncomfortable."

"Peace might be possible if we all did our part."

"Nature persists even in the middle of war."