Pictured above from left: Martha Raddatz, Dr. Daniel P. Perl, Vice Admiral Tim Szymanski (Ret.), and Shannon Finn Connell at the 2026 Evening of Honor.
Twenty-five years after the attacks of September 11th, Invisible Wounds Foundation gathered at the Morton Arboretum’s Firefly Pavilion on September 13 for our 2026 Evening of Honor, an evening dedicated to the courage and resilience of those who have served, and to our work toward a diagnostic for the traumatic brain injuries that too often go undetected.
ABC News chief global affairs correspondent and This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz led a live onstage conversation in the spirit of her New York Times bestseller, The Hero Next Door: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose. She was joined by Col. (Ret.) Rocco A. Armonda, MD, a neurosurgeon who serves on our Medical and Science Advisory Council, and Noel Sons, a retired Special Operations Chief Petty Officer and 23-year Naval Special Warfare veteran. Emmy-winning ABC 7 Chicago anchor Mark Rivera served as master of ceremonies, and every guest took home a signed copy of the book.
The evening also included the presentation of the Dr. Daniel P. Perl Medal of Inspiration and Hope. The award is named for Dr. Perl, a member of our Board of Directors, whose pioneering research on blast-related traumatic brain injury changed the way we view the invisible wound. This year’s medal was presented to Vice Admiral Tim Szymanski, U.S. Navy (Ret.), who also serves on our Board of Directors. A Navy SEAL with more than three decades of service, Szymanski retired in 2021 after serving as Deputy Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and Commander of Naval Special Warfare Command. He was among the first in the military to prioritize warfighter brain health, setting policy to cognitively baseline the entire Special Operations community.
The tree inscribed on the medal commemorates the Hickory dedicated to Dr. Perl at the Morton Arboretum in 2025, and recognizes the deeply rooted commitment of those dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war.
Twenty-five years since 9/11. The stories still deserve to be told, and the wounds still deserve to be healed. To follow the work as it continues, subscribe to The Collab, our newsletter from the Military Brain Health Collaborative.