My Daughter Gave Me Earbuds for My Birthday—A Veteran at Work Took One Look and Went Pale

up at me, and there was something in his eyes I’d only seen once before—the day he told us about the roadside device that almost took out his convoy in Kandahar.

“Where’d you get these?” His voice was flat, careful.

“I just told you. My daughter. Birthday gift.” I tried to laugh it off. “What, you think they’re going to explode or something?”

He didn’t continue reading …