I was wounded twice during combat operations in Kandahar Province Afghanistan while serving as an Infantryman in the 5th Stryker Brigade. Since I came home in 2009, I have struggled in a vicious cycle of depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts. I have been in and out of the in-patient psych unit in Pittsburgh on various floors until I slowly built a relationship with staff on the 4th floor. During my most recent stay, I was brought in after a short standoff with the Pittsburgh Police Department and felt hopeless in the face of the many demons that I struggle to cope with. During a moment of crisis during that particular stay, I became frustrated and overwhelmed during a moment of hardship. There was some confusion on my part with regard to what medications I was to be given and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I found myself alone inside the room provided to me by the VA, slamming objects, and sitting on the floor near to tears as there was no way to escape my own ill-formed ideas. Shylee came into the room and actually sat across from me on the very same floor... which in and of itself was shocking as I had felt up to that point that there was literally no one who cared about me on this planet. She kindly explained to me what medications I was taking and what the schedule would look like over the course of my treatment according to the orders that were written by my doctors. She made the technical jargon easy to understand to the ears of a former Infantry grunt. She then recalled with perfect detail events specific to my history which caused me to end up in treatment, to begin with. This allowed to me let my guard down long enough to voice my concerns about my future and some of the issues that I face personally. She was fully invested in helping me work out each issue individually guiding me toward making the right decisions. She is the largest influence in my decision to receive a Vitriol shot and curb the alcoholism that has contributed to my seemingly endless series of catastrophes. She was able to approach my case with technical knowledge, attention, and most importantly, genuine concern. During my time in the Army, medals were awarded for exemplary conduct in the face of an enemy that wanted to hurt you. She demonstrated exemplary conduct in the face of an enemy that wanted to hurt someone else other than themself and left a long-lasting indelible mark on her patient. Therefore, I would like to proudly submit Shylee for this award. Thank you.