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Lost and found: Military bracelet inspires gratitude

TO THE EDITOR:

In picking through our department's lost and found bin, I came across something that humbled me and gave me a flush of gratitude. It also left me anxious for someone I don't know.

I found a bracelet memorializing a loved one. It reads:

SPC Michael J Potocki MD, Army Iraqi Freedom 26 July '06 KIA. This person gave his life in the service of his Army brothers and sisters and for his country. My country. Your country. He was a doctor and a soldier and he lived and died in the spirit of giving to others.

I am deeply grateful I live in a world and a country filled with people like this. He showed me that I can do this too, at least in small ways, every day. Thank you, Specialist Michael Potocki.

I am grateful to live in his debt and the debt of all those like him who help others. They provide guiding lights when I lose my way in self-pity and pettiness.

I hope that this bracelet finds its way back to the owner. In the mean time, it touched my heart and reminded me of all the good in the world.

Anyone wishing to help reconnect the bracelet and its owner should contact Miami's Biology Department at 513-529-3100.