Injured veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were given a voice on the small screen when Kevin McKidd joined the cast of "Grey's Anatomy" in 2008 as a war vet doctor. That is why he was chosen to present an award at the Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation's seventh annual Night of Heroes gala, which honored military heroes and the doctors who care for them at Washington's Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Thursday night.
McKidd said being chosen to present an award seemed like "a good fit" given the preparation he underwent for his role as a former Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. "[The part] gave me insight into the sacrifice of all these soldiers who put themselves in harm's way," he told Yeas & Nays.
Mark Boal, who wrote and produced "The Hurt Locker" and is now producing a film based on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, was also chosen to present at the event. He said his interest in the military goes back to the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "What started it for me, on a personal level, was really 9/11," he told Yeas & Nays. "I grew up in New York and that event was just a tragedy for so many people. And I think that's what got me started thinking about national security and the roles that individuals play in the military."
