Brigid Brannagh didn't want to say the wrong thing.
Not because the Army Wives actress had something to hide or she was worried she'd offend her interviewer. She carefully chose her words because the show has made her a de facto spokesperson for the men and women of the U.S. military and their families.
While reflecting on her recent trip to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, she tried desperately to remember the names of each soldier whose stories moved her (there were many, and she remembered almost all).
"I can't even describe Walter Reed," Brannagh said. "They're missing limbs, and they have permanent disfigurement, and they're in incredible pain and have any number of things that the rest of us can't imagine, and yet they were so positive - so grateful to be there and be well cared for and be home. And they feel luckier than their counterparts."
"I'm not kidding - I felt like a jerk. What could I possibly think or do to make this better in any way? I definitely think Walter Reed is a place to donate."
Brannagh and some of her Army Wives co-stars visited Walter Reed this summer for a special screening of their Lifetime drama series.

Brannagh plays Pamela Moran, wife of a Delta Force soldier. She's a former cop who now hosts her own radio show targeting the women on post.
Army Wives, which has been a huge hit for Lifeime on Sunday nights, is filmed in Charleston, S.C., where the fictional Fort Marshall is located.
While other stars in front of the camera include Hollywood imports like Kim Delaney (NYPD Blue) and Catherine Bell (JAG), many of the faces behind the camera are imported from a city about four hours north of Charleston.
"Maybe half of our crew is from Wilmington," Brannagh said.
Army Wives actually marks the second time Brannagh has worked with Wilmington-based filmed crews, but the last time, she came to them.
Brannagh filmed a guest role for the made-in-Wilmington supernatural drama American Gothic in 1995.
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