TBO.com News

A Buddy In Need Motivates Troops

By KEITH CATE kcate@wfla.com

Published: Dec 6, 2005

LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Germany -- Air Force Capt. Kara Elliott hasn't been stationed at Landstuhl for long.

But in the short time she has been there, she has learned a lot about what motivates young men on the field of battle.

They are moved, she has found, to take care of each other, even at great personal risk.

"I've heard so many stories of guys getting their buddies out of burning Humvees and not even caring about the risk to their own bodies," Elliott says.

For many of the patients, arriving in Germany is an important step on the way home.

"When they get here, some of them get the opportunity to talk to their mothers, or their fiancee or their wife for the first time," she says. "That can be overwhelming for them as well, just to get the phone call to say, 'I'm safe, I'm in Germany.'"

When she's not deployed, Elliott lives in Plant City. She thinks often of her family and friends back home. But her focus is on the injured soldiers in front of her.

"These guys are doing the hard part," she says. "It's an honor to be able to take care of them when they get here. It's an honor just to be able to provide that gentle touch that their family wishes that they could provide.

"It's a blessing to be able to say thank you for what you're doing."

Keith Cate