“Dying a hero was better than dying a failure, but it did nothing to soften the blow for those left behind. Hearing you loved them at the last did nothing to ease the pain of your passing—they already knew! The chasm carved in one’s soul by the absence of one loved so deeply couldn’t be dressed up or prettied by accoutrements. However you went out, you were still gone—and this was the wound that remained unhealed.”