Posted by
Cynewulf on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 11:36:23 PM
With all that's going on over here right now (Virginia Tech, Presidential campaign, even Imus and Alec Baldwin), it's easy to forget about the part of us who are overseas fighting to keep the rest of us safe. Take some time to acquaint yourself with some of them. Lisa Yanity is a medical service officer. She's dewormed over 14,000 Afghan children. That's gotta be some kind of record. Jacqueline Naylor is a family practice physician. Check out her recount of delivering a baby that was breech. Jerry Trotter was called to active duty while in his junior year at the University of South Florida (my alma mater). Lorie Jewell is a journalist, and you can tell. She's got some good stories. Take a moment to read one or two of the interviews. Come back for more when you have the time.
Lisa Yanity - 1/29/06
"Maybe it's the educator in me coming out, but for me, working with the young people, that's where we're truly going to effect change. Maybe they'll remember those crazy Americans - 'They gave me candy and vitamins. Maybe they're not so bad.'"
Captain Jacqueline Naylor - 2/5/06
"The worst is when our own soldiers come in. The ones killed in action, you have to look for identification. A first sergeant was blown up in an IED. I was putting oxygen on him. He looked at me with his bloody eyes, and with his bloody hand he grabbed my hand, and he said, 'I'm so sorry.' He's responsible for the safety of troops, and he's thinking that by getting hurt, he's taking up my time. I had to sit down for a little bit. I believe he survived. If they make it on the plane to Germany, generally they're going to survive."
Corporal Jerry E. Trotter - 2/12/06
"It's kind of tough when you're trying to battle an ideology rather than individuals. In my opinion, it's going well. It's a winning battle, but it's going to be a long one, like the president says."
Journalist Lorie Jewell - 2/19/06
"You hear a lot in the news about IEDs [improvised explosive devices] going off, and the car bombs. That's a fact that shouldn't be glossed over. But for every car bomb or roadside bomb you hear of, there are probably 10 or 20 that were prevented because citizens saw what was going on and reported it. They're little things that by themselves are not real sexy stories, but I think in the big picture, that kind of attitude is going to bring about the bigger success."
History Lesson: Ever wonder about the Shores of Tripoli? Take a gander at Gunny G's blog post, To the Shores of Tripoli and find out why those words are in the Marine's Hymn.