Paying Tribute to the Endless Mission of the Combat Medic

Afghanistan.  Battleground of the last decade for many US troops.  Now that the intensity of the ground campaign in Iraq is lowering, even more boots are entrenched in this mysterious, mountainous, and vicious country.  As more troops are inserted into the fighting, more are exposed to danger.  As the number of casualties mounts, one branch of the service gets busier and busier.  Here is a tribute article to the harrowing and ongoing life-saving mission of the Medevac combat teams of the US military. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/world/asia/13medevac.html?hp

A Profound Moment... of Silence

Today is Israel's national memorial day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror attacks.  As on every Israeli memorial day, there is a 1 minute moment of silence at 11am. 
This is not like any moment of silence I have ever taken part in.  I stand on the street in statue-like reverence, surrounded by others in equally still poses.  A woman's cigarette burns in her hand. 
In my relatively short time in this country I have experienced a deep exposure to the reality of Israeli life.  I have spent 6.5 years here.  Not a lifetime.  Not even half of my young life.  Yet in this chapter of my life here I have felt the sacrifice, I have seen the pain, and I have the faces of lost friends burned onto my conciousness .  My moment of silence is filled with images of my young compatriots who fell defending their homes and the ideals thats stand among them.  All of this is reinforced by the stand-still scene that surrounds me on a busy street in Tel Aviv. 
There is much behind this fervently observed moment of silence.  Seeing the cars come to a stop; their drivers standing alongside in the street, the never-ending stream of city busses sitting in their places, the throngs of pedestrians on the sidewalks, all standing motionless and deep in thought. 
This scene means something.  It means that the sacrifice laid down by the hero soldiers we stop and remember today, was not in vain.  The people here remember.  The loss of a soldier matters.  The nation cares. 

Each soldier that falls in the line of duty here is remembered as a hero, and their deeds will never be forgotten or taken for granted. 
This is why the Israeli Defense Force is the best army in the world.  The whole country stands behind us.  The whole nation cares.

A Story Close to Home With Many Israelis

Israeli households are filled with many stories similar to those of these women featured here in the The New York Times. In this tribute story to American women combat veterans, heroic stories of service are told, and the issue of post traumatic stress disorder is addressed. Few countries find their servicewomen on front lines or in dangerous battlefields. Driven by necessity and extraordinary will, women serve vital roles in both the American and Israeli armed forces. Their exploits serve to inspire us all.

"In early October 2004, her convoy of about 30 vehicles set out from Kuwait for Mosul, one of Iraq’s most violent cities. On the way, she said, they were hit three times with roadside bombs. One exploded 200 feet from the unarmored Humvee in which Mrs. Pacquette spent day and night pointing her rifle out an open window. " Please take a look at the rest of the article to learn more about their stories.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/us/01trauma.html?pagewanted=1&ref=us