Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility 

Wednesday Hero — Cpl. Jennifer Parcell

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By SJ Reidhead

Cpl. Jennifer Parcell 20 years old from Bel Air, Maryland Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force February 7, 2007

Cpl. Jennifer Parcell was petite, but one learned quickly that underestimating her was foolish.

"She was an absolute firecracker," Master Sgt. Jerry Widner said. "Just a go-getting machine."

Her relentless can-do attitude led her to volunteer for Iraq. And then to volunteer for the Lioness Program, which provides female Marines for searches of Iraqi women to respect Muslim cultural mores.

Parcell was killed Feb. 7 in Anbar province when a woman she was searching blew herself up with a suicide vest. Parcell had started doing the searches a week before and was three weeks from going home.

You can read the rest of Cpl. Jennifer Parcell's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero. We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. If you would like to participate in honoring the brave men and women who serve this great country, you can find out how by going here.

Television

I watch a lot of television. Mostly I watch reruns of Forensic Files and the like on CourtTV or I watch the Science Channel, or the History Channel, and some of the dreck they put on Cartoon Network. Tonight though, we went over to our friends house, to be with her family, and to say goodbye.

She isn't gone yet, but she looks like she's in a lot of pain, even when she's sleeping. It's heart-rending to see, and to see the affect it's having on her family.

While we were there, I sat through an hour of "American Idol". I've caught glimpses of the show from time to time, but this is the first time I've ever actually watched it. It was like amatuer karaoke night at a singles bar. Seriously, it was that bad.

Most of the performances were pathetic, and the judges while not really wowed, gave the singers way too much credit. Simon was probably even being a bit kind. There were two mediocre performances that far outshone the others.

All in all, I don't think I've missed a whole lot by not watching this show.

After that, some show called "House" came on. It actually looked interesting, but I doubt that it's one that would keep me entertained much either. I left after the first fifteen minutes of the show, to bring my son home so he can go to bed and get ready for school in the morning.

My wife stayed behind. She'll come home later tonight, sometime around 11:00PM or later. If you pray, please pray for our friend and her family. Especially for the family. They really need the support.

Tuesday open trackbacks

Cancer is a terrible thing. I can only imagine the pain and the anguish it must cause a person that has it.

One of my wife's best friends is slowly, and painfully, dying of cancer. She's been on hospice care for weeks, and comfort care only.

Not only is it slowly eating away at her life, her family is suffering too. Someone is with her 24 hours a day. Most of the time she's in pain. Even when she's sleeping and calm, her face is screwed up in pain.

Sometime's she's quite lucid. Other times, she doesn't even recognize her own daughters. Other times, she's angry that she hasn't passed on yet.

It's hard to watch this, even secondhand through my wife's eyes. To hear some of it is to almost be overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness.

This woman, dying of cancer, once was a vibrant, energetic woman. More than 20 years my senior, she could dance my legs off at my wedding. I prefer to remember her that way.

This whole episode has given me a greater appreciation for who my wife really is. When I married her, she was a nurse working in long term care. A nursing-home nurse.

She's got a lot of experience dealing with elderly people and people in the twilight of their lives. She's told me about her experiences in long term care from time to time. Some of the stories are amazing.

When we're young it seems that there's nothing the medical profession can't do. It's hard to see things that way now. There are some things that they just haven't got the capacity to deal with.

Our friend is terminal. It's amazing that her body is still clinging to life. Her liver has has shut down and her body is slowly poisoning itself. We've expected her to pass for the last couple of weeks.

If you're the type that prays, please say a prayer for her, and for her family. Their pain and suffering is a terrible thing to watch.

Even second hand.

This is your open trackbacks post for Tuesday, March 6, 2007.

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