[NP-Clinical] responding to comment on safest branch of service

[Diana Galler]

My father was career Navy 30+ years. He went to VietNam twice-- the first time as a military advisor, the second time as Commadant of Coastal Squad One in charge of the patrols going up the rivers of Laos and Cambodia (in the days BEFORE our government ever acknowledged we HAD troops in Laos and Cambodia) .He would sent us reel-to-reel tapes always starting with "I can't tell you where I am. I can't tell you where I'm going. I can't tell you when I'll be back.." He received a Purple Heart for injuries suffered during this second tour. 
   
  My daughter was active duty AF on TDY in Saudi back in 1996 when Kobar Towers was bombed by terrorists and 19 airman were killed. If she had been in her room at that time, she wouldn't be alive today.
   
  There is no such thing as a SAFE branch of the military-- especially in times of war and conflict. I have read that due to lack of sufficient Army and Marine troops to accomplish the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, some Navy and AF personnel are being cross-trained and assigned to units of other branches to boost the numbers.
   
  Ever the anti-war pacifist, I joined the Army reserves as a MASH nurse in 1987 and spent 13 years in. When my brother questioned how I could be in the military when I didn't believe in war and what our government was doing at the time (Panama, Grenada, and Gulf War I), I remember answering that even though I personally didn't believe in war, it wasn't going to stop them from occuring. And that as long as there were wars and American troops getting injured and killed, I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to help them. During Gulf War I, despite the fact that we were in non-combat roles, all the nurses were trained in biological and chemical protection and how to fire weapons (okay-- THAT really bothered me!!) in order to save ourselves if under attack. 
   
  In today's military, despite the fact that females are not in "combat roles" they are dying and being maimed just the same. NO ONE is safe despite their roles, their gender, or their assigned military branch. That's what happens in war...........(ow whatever we want to call it)
  Dena Galler
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