For many service members, leaving the military marks the end of one chapter. For retired Lt. Col. Steven Pierce, it became the beginning of another.After serving in combat, returning home and stepping away from the Army, Pierce made a decision few people make: He went back.Finding a PurposePierce did not grow up with a lifelong plan to join the military. After graduating college, he was trying to figure out what came next."I was just kind of wondering what in the world am I gonna do with my life," Pierce said.A conversation with a coworker changed his perspective. The coworker had received a raise because of his military service, and Pierce wanted to understand why. He started looking into the military and considered different branches before choosing the Army. The Army offered him a role as a military intelligence analyst."I thought, well, that sounds really cool," he said.He enlisted, went through basic training and was sent to Germany. But the reality of the job was different than what he imagined. He expected the Army he saw as a kid, running through the woods, being part of the action. Instead, he was sitting at a desk, analyzing information and sending reports.So Pierce made another decision. He wanted to be where he felt he belonged."I wanna go and do like real, real Army stuff," he said.After becoming an officer, he moved from military intelligence into infantry and eventually deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division.A Battlefield Experience That Changed EverythingPierce was serving as an infantry officer during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He remembers being on top of a tank during the initial push into the country when his platoon became involved in an ambush. The Wounded Soldier Who Chose to Return"I was literally sitting on top of a tank as an infantryman, you know, charging in the battle," Pierce said.The engagement lasted about nine hours. Pierce was injured by shrapnel. One of his soldiers was killed. After receiving treatment, Pierce returned to his platoon and continued serving."I had them scrub me up and put me back in front of my platoon," he said.When he returned home in 2004, Pierce believed his military career was over.He left the Army and became an education director before eventually working with the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that helps wounded service members and their families. But as the conflicts continued, Pierce found himself watching the war from a different perspective.His friends were still serving. Many were returning for second and third deployments. And through his work at Fisher House, he saw the impact those deployments had on service members and their families.Pierce said he had "a front row seat" to the cost of war. That experience led him to make another choice."I've still got some gas in the tank. I need to go back and do my part," Pierce said.Returning to ServeIn 2007, after three years away from the military, Pierce contacted human resources and asked to return. He wanted to come back at the rank he left.The answer was yes.Pierce returned to training, deployed to Afghanistan as a combat adviser and later returned to Iraq, serving in Ramadi and Fallujah.He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel after 26 years of service. But Pierce's commitment to serving others did not end when he left the military. He spent years teaching the next generation, volunteers with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and remains active with the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He is also a husband and father.For Pierce, service has become a lifelong responsibility.Preserving the Stories Behind the Purple HeartThat responsibility is part of why Pierce is involved with the new Purple Heart exhibit at the Corpus Chriti Museum of Science and History. The exhibit will highlight local Purple Heart recipients and give visitors a chance to learn the stories behind the names and faces. Pierce believes those stories are important not only for the veterans who survived, but also for those who did not come home."We have a responsibility to be able to tell the story of those who didn't make it through the conflicts that we've made it through," Pierce said.He says every Purple Heart recipient has a different story. Some remember every detail. Others may not remember the moment they were injured because they woke up in a hospital. But each story represents sacrifice.Pierce says the exhibit is an opportunity to recognize people in the community who may otherwise go unnoticed. People you may pass at the grocery store. People you may stand next to in line. People whose experiences you may never know."What we have an opportunity to do is be able to stop them and say thank you, but specifically thank you by listening to their stories," Pierce said.For Pierce, preserving those memories is more than honoring the past. It's making sure the sacrifices behind the Purple Heart are never forgotten.The Purple Heart exhibit will open at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History on Saturday, Aug. 8. Doors open at 9 a.m., with a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend and encouraged to show up early anticipating traffic due to a graduation ceremony happening nearby.More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans. Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at [email protected] ...read more read less