For Michelle Ekoniak, a visit to help mark the expansion of Home Base, a National Center of Excellence at the Charlestown Navy Yard, is personal.
The retired Army officer sought treatment at the veterans medical facility for the physical and mental scars she suffered as a result of multiple deployments in support of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Today, I would be remiss if I didn’t stand up here as a soldier,” she said to a crowd of about 250 seated attentively before her last week.
The grand opening of two new clinics at Home Base, a nonprofit run by the Red Sox Foundation and Mass General Brigham, drew political leaders, business executives, veterans, and members of the public.
Home Base teamed up with Suffolk Construction and the Wounded Warrior Project on the $5.1 million project that added 5,500 square feet of new clinical space.
Retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, who joined dignitaries to cut a big blue ribbon, called the expansion “a big step forward.”
“This expansion will elevate the quality of care that we’re able to deliver,” said Hammond, the executive director of Home Base. “It will also enable us to double the number of Special Operations team members that come here every week.”
The Suffolk Innovation Clinic and the Wounded Warrior Project Brain Health and Special Operations Performance Clinic are located in the third floor expansion.
“This is a project that is near and dear to each and every one of us at our organization,” said John Fish, chief executive officer at Suffolk Construction, who serves on Home Base Board of Overseers. “To have the opportunity to be affiliated with such a selfless organization . . . it means the world to us.”
The clinics will focus on special operations veterans who have neurological, psychological, and physical conditions related to traumatic brain injuries. Research will focus on developing new methods and treatments to improve the brain health of veterans.
“Our veterans and our warriors should never be seen as a burden to society,” said Retired Lieutenant General Walt Piatt, chief executive officer of the Wounded Warrior Project. “They should be leaders of society, because they are what makes us free.”
In her remarks, Ekoniak spoke movingly of her 10 years serving in the Army, and the help she received at Home Base. In Iraq and Afghanistan, her job was to analyze intelligence and share it to prevent attacks on US troops.
But there was one attack that no one saw coming. Eight soldiers were killed and the memory “would haunt me for years,” she said.
“You can’t stop them all,” Ekoniak said, her voice shaking. “I wish I could have done more that day, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t sleep well, one of the reasons I came to Home Base.”
She suffered a traumatic brain injury from a faulty airborne jump. Still, she continued to serve, even after undergoing 16 surgeries, rehab and physical therapy “for injuries that never healed.”
At the suggestion of her husband and friend, she turned to Home Base for treatment.
“Home Base was the first time that I felt truly listened to,” said Ekoniak, who works in a civilian role for the defense department providing care to veterans. “For years, I went to doctors and I was pushed away.”
At Home Base, she finally had a brain MRI, a test she never had while serving in the Army. “I feel relieved to know that there’s a reason for things going on wrong, and I’m on a path to healing,” she said.
She recalled the painful reality of veterans dying by suicide, and urged veterans in attendance to prioritize their health.
“Please take a break for yourself,” she said. “Live a life worth living. If pain, migraines. . . PTSD symptoms are keeping you from doing that, please take time for yourself.”
The audience rose to give her a standing ovation.
Update: This story has been updated to clarify that retired Army Officer Michelle Ekoniak was deployed in support of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Kiera McDonald can be reached at kiera.mcdonald@globe.com.