Retired Lt. Col. Kurt Kosmatka, 50, is interviewed by the Associated Press at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. Kosmatka came down with a disease, while serving with the Army Reserves in Iraq in 2007, that has weakened his immune system and left him with respiratory problems. He said he feels in particular for those who are getting wounded who don't have strong family connections to help them through the process. "It was pretty tough on some guys and girls," he said. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)