An empty chair sits at a small, round table at the AMVETS post in Virginia, Minn. As Post Commander Shawn Carr calls roll, the members stand at attention. All are present, yet one name called receives no reply. "Noah Pierce," Carr says. No response. Carr calls out again, "Noah C. Pierce... Specialist Noah C. Pierce." Amid the silence, taps begins to play. Across the room, a woman breaks down in tears. The woman is Cheryl Softich. The empty chair belongs to her late son, Army Spc. Noah C. Pierce. Pierce, a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, killed himself in the summer of 2007 while battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This December, Carr and his colleagues dedicated the Noah C. Pierce AMVETS Post 33 in his memory. Carr noted that this tribute to Pierce was a way to raise awareness of PTSD—an issue that has affected veterans of every conflict, past and present.
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机译：在明尼苏达州弗吉尼亚州AMVETS哨所的一张小桌子上坐着一把空椅子，当哨所指挥官Shawn Carr打电话时，成员们都在注意。全部都存在，但是一个叫的名字没有得到回复。 “诺亚·皮尔斯，”卡尔说。没有反应。卡尔再次喊道：“诺亚·皮尔斯（Noah C. Pierce）……专家诺亚·皮尔斯（Noah C. Pierce）。”在寂静中，水龙头开始演奏。整个房间里，一个女人泪流满面。女人是谢丽尔·Softich。空椅子属于她已故的儿子Army Spc。诺亚·皮尔斯（Noah C.皮尔斯（Pierce）是“伊拉克自由行动”（O伊拉克i Freedom）的老兵，他在2007年夏天与创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）作战时自杀身亡。今年12月，卡尔和他的同事们将Noah C. Pierce AMVETS Post 33献给了他。卡尔指出，向皮尔斯致敬是提高人们对创伤后应激障碍的认识的一种方式，这个问题已经影响到过去和现在每一次冲突的退伍军人。
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