Hi Ho Hi Ho, It's off to work I go...
Today was my first day back to work after my week and a half vacation. It was kinda hard getting back into the groove after being away so long. I was feeling right at home by the second half of the day though. I'd say it was a pretty good day for me since I got to meet a unique bunch of people today. First off I have to tell you about the amazing place that I work.
I work at a military hospital here in Germany and the floor that I work on takes care of patients mainly from Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. I work as the ward clerk, so I don't do any patient care, but I help free up nurses valuable time by taking care of the mounds of military paperwork and the answering of phones. (they hate answering the phones! LOL!) In my time at the hospital, I have seen the atrocities of war and the strength of the human spirit. I think this job has forever opened my eyes to the sacrifices of our men and women and what their families go through while the are serving our country. Some have touched my life more than others but they are all heroes.
We get a lot of distinguished visitors that come and see our patients. Today we had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace come by to visit the staff and the patients. He is the highest ranking member of the Armed Forces, and is the principal advisor of the military to the President. And to top it off, he was a very nice man. He thanked each and everyone of us for our service and gave us his coin. Coins are personalized with that member's rank, name, unit info ect and are given to people they feel have done a job well done. They are a time honored token of appreciation that they have been handing out since WWI. So that was pretty special to me.
We also had a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient come by to meet the soldiers. That was pretty special as well because to be awarded a Medal of Honor is a rarity. There are only some 120 or so recipients alive today. Everyone including the President of the United States salutes these brave service members. To get a Medal of Honor, you have to have shown great bravery without regard for your own life or safety. I got to shake his hand and thank him for his service.
The last visitor we had today was Diana Degarmo of American Idol fame. She came with the group (which was all part of a USO tour) to help lift their spirits. She was very nice and just as cute as she looked on TV.
So that was pretty much my day at the office.
Oh I almost forgot, I also watched the first episode of Lost (season two). It is just now getting broadcast over here so I am sooooo excited! I just love that show. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes a good suspense.
I work at a military hospital here in Germany and the floor that I work on takes care of patients mainly from Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. I work as the ward clerk, so I don't do any patient care, but I help free up nurses valuable time by taking care of the mounds of military paperwork and the answering of phones. (they hate answering the phones! LOL!) In my time at the hospital, I have seen the atrocities of war and the strength of the human spirit. I think this job has forever opened my eyes to the sacrifices of our men and women and what their families go through while the are serving our country. Some have touched my life more than others but they are all heroes.
We get a lot of distinguished visitors that come and see our patients. Today we had the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace come by to visit the staff and the patients. He is the highest ranking member of the Armed Forces, and is the principal advisor of the military to the President. And to top it off, he was a very nice man. He thanked each and everyone of us for our service and gave us his coin. Coins are personalized with that member's rank, name, unit info ect and are given to people they feel have done a job well done. They are a time honored token of appreciation that they have been handing out since WWI. So that was pretty special to me.
We also had a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient come by to meet the soldiers. That was pretty special as well because to be awarded a Medal of Honor is a rarity. There are only some 120 or so recipients alive today. Everyone including the President of the United States salutes these brave service members. To get a Medal of Honor, you have to have shown great bravery without regard for your own life or safety. I got to shake his hand and thank him for his service.
The last visitor we had today was Diana Degarmo of American Idol fame. She came with the group (which was all part of a USO tour) to help lift their spirits. She was very nice and just as cute as she looked on TV.
So that was pretty much my day at the office.
Oh I almost forgot, I also watched the first episode of Lost (season two). It is just now getting broadcast over here so I am sooooo excited! I just love that show. I highly recommend it to everyone who likes a good suspense.
posted by Brandi at
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
3 Comments:
It's about time you get back to work if you've had a week off! :) Just kidding, I've been off for four days and had to get back to the grind today.
It sounds like you meet some cool people, that is really neat that you got the coin.
There are a lot of Americans who need to read your blog. US citizens may not support the war, but they at least need to support military personnel. I always think of Jack Nicholson's speech in A Few Good Men about the average American resting at night knowing there is someone standing "on the wall" keeping them safe. I have my opinions of the President, but I definitely support those doing their job. My cousin was in Kabul and in Bagdad for a while, and I've heard his stories of things that are happening there.
P. S. Glad to see that you started a blog, I've linked you to mine so I can keep up!
By
The Big Fat Project Management Team, at 4:49 PM
Yeah, I've got you in my favorites too Keoka! :)
Look what I found this morning!
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=211042>1=7538
I didn't even realize they had put on a show that day! LOL! Diana had that same outfit on when she stopped by the hospital.
I also have my own opinions of the President, but I agree with you. I support the men and women that "stand on the wall" for us everyday.
By
Brandi, at 11:05 PM
huh...the link didn't work.
lets try this....
© AP
Diana DeGarmo
'American Idol' Star Entertains Troops
Jan 3, 11:25 AM EST
The Associated Press
How does an 18-year-old "American Idol" star stay fresh and pretty while traveling to seven countries in seven days to entertain the troops?
Diana DeGarmo says you sleep and eat on schedule — and it helps to bring along your mom.
"Some people might call me a party pooper," she told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday on a military aircraft en route to Germany for the final stop of the tour. "But you just have to do it."
DeGarmo visited several U.S. bases in the Middle East and eastern Africa to host holiday shows with comedian Reggie McFadden and country singer Michael Peterson. They were traveling in a delegation led by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace.
The weeklong United Service Organizations tour started at an air base near Doha, Qatar, and included stops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Djibouti and the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier somewhere in the central Arabian Gulf.
DeGarmo, last season's runner-up to Fantasia Barrino on the Fox "American Idol" reality show, said she had "learned that there's more to this war than sending troops overseas. They're missing so much and risking their lives."
The singer, who brought her manager and mother, Brenda DeGarmo, asked for several volunteers to come onstage for a dance contest in each performance and ended by singing "America the Beautiful."
She said one of the strangest moments on the trip was performing for dozens of shivering troops at Camp Victory in Baghdad, with helicopters flying overhead and people shouting. She also spent the night in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces.
By
Brandi, at 11:08 PM
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