AARP Hearing Center
![Gary Sinise hugs Rosie Babin after her family received a smart home from the Gary Sinise Foundation's R.I.S.E. program in 2017. Gary Sinise hugs Rosie Babin as the crowd celebrates her family's new home in 2017](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2023/gary-sinise-salutes-caregivers/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/voices/veterans/2023/10/1140-gary-sinise-hug-woman.jpg)
I first met Rosie Babin in 2003. She was at the Fisher House, a temporary residence run by the charitable foundation and situated on the grounds of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just outside Washington D.C. with her son, PFC Alan Babin of the 82nd Airborne Division.
On March 29, 2003, just nine days into the invasion of Iraq, Alan, then 23, had been the only medic in his 41-man platoon during a firefight beside a bridge across the Euphrates River in the city of Samawah, 150 miles south of Baghdad.
![869290754 closeup of a rusty dog tag with the text thank you veterans engraved in it, next to a flag of the United States](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2023/gary-sinise-salutes-caregivers/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/body_one_cf_one/par2/body_one_callout_one/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/home-and-family/voices/veterans/2023/06/1140-dog-tag-flag-veteran-report.jpg)
You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published twice a month. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.
When a soldier was wounded and the call for “Medic!” rang out, Alan didn’t hesitate. He’d joined the Army to protect his country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and he did not hesitate when duty called. Alan ran toward gunfire and got about 15 feet when an AK-47 bullet ripped into his stomach.
The wound, the size and shape of a football, was devastating, destroying his spleen and 90 percent of his stomach. For his heroic actions that day, Alan was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor and the Purple Heart.
![member card Image Alt Attribute](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/experience-fragments/uxdia-folder-structure/en/features/membership/inline-membership-promo/default/master5/_jcr_content/root/responsivegrid/container_copy/container/articleimage.coreimg.75.1140.png/content/dam/uxdia/membership-card-d-and-t.png)
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Labor Day Sale!
Join AARP for just $9 per year with a 5-year membership and get a FREE Gift!
Army doctors feared he would not survive but Alan was eventually stabilized. Once he got to Walter Reed, his mother Rosie never left his side. That was more than two decades ago and she is still his constant companion and dedicated advocate.
In the first seven months, Alan underwent more than 70 surgeries. Burns on his arms and legs required skin grafts. His immune system battered, he contracted meningitis and suffered a stroke. Rosie was tenacious. A reporter noted that she would ask general questions such as “Is he in pain?” but also the highly specialized: “Would an endoscopic third-ventriculostomy be an alternative to the shunt?”
Alan’s stroke changed everything. “He had to learn to breathe on his own, to speak – when he started doing a thumbs up, that was huge,” Rosie later recalled.
More From AARP
7 Advantages a Veteran Has in the Workplace
Military service is a huge plus for civilian employers5 Veteran-Owned Gourmet Coffee Brands
These military-linked companies aren't making your average cup of joe28 Travel Discounts for Veterans
With extensive savings available, it's essential to search for deals
Surprising Life Lessons From a Navy SEAL
After the military, Nick Norris found out he was equipped for combat but not for life