A U.S. Marine Gives Prince Harry a Gift Too Precious To Accept

04 Nov, 2015 by McGuire

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Kirstie Ennis was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and a door gunner prior to the helicopter crash that brought her career to a screeching halt in 2012. As she healed, she looked for ways that she could continue helping others- and boy, did she ever:

She got involved with Walking With the Wounded, a charity that helps provide everything from encouragement to treatment for wounded soldiers from multiple countries. Ennis even delayed the amputation of part of her left leg to participate in the Walk of Britain.

The Walk of Britain covered 1,000 miles in 72 days, and every 40 miles Ennis made her mark on the trail. She left a note or poem, along with a dog tag belonging to a fallen soldier.

She saved the hardest one for last, however, according to an Instagram photo she posted:

This was a hard one. There are people in your recovery who turn into your rock, and they never even truly realize it. Since my injury, I have met some of the most remarkable, and inspiring people. Chris Van Etten and Colleen Baune became pillars of strength for me even through the new challenges they faced after TJs passing. We may not be terribly close as we were in the beginning of my recovery, but I’ll always feel indebted to you. I truly don’t feel like I would be as far as I am now without you being there in the start. Thank you. I did this for you to honor TJ. All my love, and best wishes.
As we finished at Buckingham Palace today, TJs dog tag was left with Prince Harry to be honored and remembered. Prince Harry has become a dear friend to us and genuine advocate for our militaries.
KIA Cpl TJ Baune
21 August 1990-13 June 2012
USMC OEF
Rest easy Brother, we will take it from here.

But when she handed Prince Harry the dog tag that once belonged to TJ – a fallen soldier – his immediate response was to refuse:

“No, I can’t. I can’t accept this.”

But Ennis insisted. And to repay Prince Harry’s kindness and for his support of the walk, she added a little distance to her walk to make one more stop:

Ennis plans to continue to support Walking With the Wounded and participate in similar events after her surgery.

What an amazing woman with such an amazing story. The way she honored her fallen brethren was amazing and beautiful. Thank you for your service, Kirstie. You are awesome.

Written by Katie McGuire. Send your hate mail to the author at katiefmcguire@gmail.com, or feel free to mean tweet me at @GOPKatie, where I will be sure to do very little about it.