WASHINGTON  —  Tears flowed freely when two of TV's "Army Wives" met the real-life women they portray on the Lifetime series.

Sally Pressman, who plays Roxy, and Brigid Brannagh, who plays Pamela, recently watched an upcoming episode with Army wives and service members at Walter Reed Medical Center outside Washington.

"It was incredibly emotional," Pressman told AP Radio in an interview. "The only thing I can say is, it is a night I will never forget and it was life-changing. I'm not going to be the same."

Pressman said she learned just how much "Army Wives" means to the women, who often watch the show together in groups.

She said one woman whose husband was killed in battle came up to her crying and told her: "The only thing that has made me happy since then is your show."

Brannagh said she was moved by the upbeat attitude of the wounded service members she met at the medical center.

One man had "shrapnel all over his face, his legs, they're trying to figure out what kind of use he's going to have in his legs and they're 19 and they're 20 and they're more positive than I could ever be," she said.

The episode screened for the group contains scenes about Roxy's husband returning home after being wounded. It will air Sunday.