Petty Officer 3rd Class Amber Smith, an orthopedic technician assigned to the Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait, examines and removes a splint off of Sgt. Gregory Cosby's finger
on July 15, 2011. When the attacks on 9/11 took place, she was a senior at Kearney High School in San Diego, Calif. Third Army and the Navy at Camp Arifjan are working together to provide a medical facility for service members in the region. Joint service partnership benefits the region in sustaining the health and welfare of our service members. Photo by
Army SSgt. Rauel Tirado |
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (8/25/2011) – On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001,
Amber Smith, was a senior at Kearney High School in San Diego,
Calif., and planned to enlist in the Navy after graduation.
On that fateful morning, she woke up to the breaking news of the
terrorist attacks and began watching the images on TV with her
family.
"As I watched destruction and chaos on the screen, I
could not believe what was happening," said Smith, who is now a
Petty Officer 3rd Class assigned to the Expeditionary Medical
Facility Kuwait.
“Is this real? How can this be happening at
this moment of time?” said Smith in disbelief.
Smith said
her family turned to her and asked, “Are you still planning on
joining the Navy?”
Smith was now undecided about her future.
Her family knew 9/11 was going to change the way of life in America
and the lives of our service members. |
That following day in school the topic was 9/11. The teacher in
her government class was a veteran, said Smith.
“He spoke
about the history of the events that lead up to attacks and what
this would mean for the future of our military and country,” stated
Smith.
Besides her, five other students in the class were
planning to enlist in the military. The teacher took time to talk
with them and let them know what to expect if they were to join.
“It became real all of sudden,” said Smith. “Before, I was
thinking about enlisting in the Navy and sailing around the world.
Now, I may go to war and maybe lose my life.”
Prior to 9/11,
Smith was first inspired to enlist in the Navy because of her
grandfather, Robert Smith Sr., who is a retired Navy corpsman and a
Vietnam veteran. Her grandfather rarely spoke about his service in
Vietnam. Like many others from the older generations, said Smith.
“It was my father who talked to me about the benefits of the
military and opportunities the service has to offer,” mentioned
Smith. “He wanted to enlist in the military himself, but never did.”
After graduation, Smith decided to put her plans for the Navy on
hold. She enrolled in San Diego City College to study nursing. Many
of her friends enlisted in the military. Also, living in San Diego
she met a lot of service members who lived there.
“I met a
lot of people who served in different branches of service and have
gone overseas to war,” said Smith. “By talking to them and listening
to their experiences, I was able to gauge what my life would be like
in the military.”
After a year of college and putting her
plans on hold for the military, Smith decided to join the Navy and
serve her country.
“My grandfather is so proud of me,” said
Smith. “Because of him, I would never think to enlist in another
branch of service.”
In December 2003, she enlisted as a Navy
corpsman. It took a year to go through the enlistment process and
leave for basic training, she stated.
At the time, the Navy
was in need of more male corpsmen than females. Smith wanted to be a
corpsman following her grandfathers footsteps and would wait for a
position to become available.
“I don't see myself doing
anything but medical,” said Smith.
After basic training and
schooling, her first duty station was in San Diego. She is now
stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., but recently deployed to Kuwait
this past spring.
She is the only orthopedic technician on
camp and is on call 24/7. She sees patients from around the region
including Iraq and Afghanistan. After the deployment, she plans to
continue her college education at the University of North Carolina.
Smith said she is interested in NCU's Reserve Officer Training
Corps program.
“She has great potential to excel within the
Navy,” said Petty Officer 1st Class John Watkins, petty officer at
EMF-K. “She contributes fresh ideas that will nurture today's Navy
into the future as the world changes.”
After a few years of
service, Smith reflects on 9/11 and what it has meant to her.
“For the younger generation in our country, this was a major
event that happened in their lives,” said Smith. “I don't what
people to lose sight on what happened that day. Ten years later,
service members are still making the ultimate sacrifice and we must
continue to recognize this everyday.”
Third Army and the Navy
at Camp Arifjan are working together to provide a medical facility
for service members in the region. Joint service partnership
benefits the region in sustaining the health and welfare of our
service members.
By Army Staff Sgt. Rauel Tirado
Third Army/U.S. Army Central
PAO
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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