For decades, Roger Esquibel has stood his post. As a Marine who served during the Iraq War, he lived by a code that prioritized the safety of others over his own comfort, a silent promise to protect a community he might never meet.
But today, in his quiet home in Sioux Falls, the battlefield has shifted. The uniform is gone, replaced by the steady, rhythmic hum of a dialysis machine that keeps the 55-year-old veteran alive, one grueling session at a time.