I step off the elevator on the ninth floor of Milwaukee’s Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. It’s where the long-term and palliative care units are located. The nurses often give me tips about patients who might want to tell their stories. I find one -- a Navy veteran -- and introduce myself. There’s a stuffed animal on the bed table. A turtle. “I love turtles, ” I say. He lights up and responds: “Then I love you!” I sit and ask him about his life. He developed Type 1 diabetes while still