Brito, with Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, is the driving force behind a food drive at the commissary here on the Japanese island of Okinawa for victims of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck mainland Japan on March 11.Reading news reports of the devastation in mainland Japan affected her deeply, Brito said, and she knew she needed to help. One article she saw hit her particularly hard, she added, as it detailed the experience of a Japanese man who had been in the water for four days and saw his wife die in the tsunami. “It made me feel horrible, terrible,â€Â she said, admitting she’s come close to tears several times reading some of the articles and seeing the images of destruction. The news stories and photographs burned into her memory also created in her a strong desire to provide some kind of aid to those in need, she said. “Half the platoon left that weekend, and I was really frustrated, because I wanted to go with them,â€Â she said. “I kept thinking that there has to be something I can do.â€Â Brito told her fiance, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Cameron Perry, also with Headquarters Battalion, that she was disappointed at being on Okinawa and unable to help. “He suggested I do a canned food drive,â€Â said Brito, from New York City. Perry, of Natchitoches, La., said he got the idea for a food drive based on what people in New Orleans needed following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While he wasn’t in Louisiana for the hurricane, he said, he has clear memories of the devastation and the shortfalls that ensued. “I knew Katrina victims, and I knew what they needed when they were in shelters,â€Â he said. Brito said she had never coordinated a food drive or done anything like this before, but she jumped on the idea and brought in Perry and another friend, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Erin Hollingsworth, from New Virginia, Iowa, to help. By March 12, Brito had contacted the commissary for approval to place donation boxes at the store’s entrance. Michael E. Shannon, the store administrator, said he gave the go-ahead and by the next day, donation boxes were in place requesting canned food for mainland victims. Shannon said he was surprised someone was willing to give time out of an already busy schedule to spearhead this effort, but that he admires Brito and the Marines helping her for what they are doing. Brito and Hollingsworth remind him of his daughter, who is about the same age, he added, and he found it heartening to see them start the effort to help others. He also was amazed by the generosity of the people in Camp Courtney’s military community. “We were overwhelmed at the response of our customers,â€Â he said. More than 15 grocery carts of food and other items were donated by March 18, Shannon said. That’s more than $4,000 worth of goods, and the donations are still coming in, he added. The response has been unbelievable, Brito said. In addition to canned food, people also have donated diapers, hygiene items, boxes of rice and other foods, she said. After the Kadena Air Base youth center announced March 15 it could no longer accept donations due to space issues, people also began donating blankets and other items, she added. Brito and her assistants have been collecting the donations from the commissary and boxing them up for shipment to the mainland. The operational tempo of Brito’s unit has increased, as Marines are being sent to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. And the canned food drive is consuming more of Brito’s off-duty hours. But all the extra work is worth it for the peace of mind it has given her, she said. “I needed – for me – to be OK with not being there. I needed to do something,â€Â Brito said. She said she thinks others felt that way as well, as evidenced by the donations she has received. For some, she explained, “this is the only opportunity we have to make a difference. It could have been us but it wasn’t, and there are thousands of people that will really appreciate the help.â€Â Brito said she hopes to continue the food drive throughout March and then reassess to see if there is still a need before continuing the food drive in April. March 24, 2011: By Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Cindy Fisher- Marine Corps Bases Japan

“I didn’t join for the money, and I didn’t join for school,â€Â said the operations officer serving here with the 1st Infantry Division’s 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force. “I joined to serve for my country.â€Â The journey began for Walter, who calls Crowley, La., home, when she enlisted as a private in 1990. A year later, at age 18, she deployed for the Persian Gulf War as a combat medic and the only woman in her company. “It was my first time away from home,â€Â she said. “I had no idea what to expect. I was exposed to things I had never seen before. “When we moved from Kuwait to Iraq in tanks,â€Â she continued, “the moment we engaged the enemy we had to jump out of the vehicle, dig fox holes and get into our fighting positions, until the enemy fire was suppressed.â€Â As night fell, the troops lined up vehicles in columns and dug fox holes deep enough to provide cover from enemy fire, she explained. Walter said her leaders and peers didn’t treat her differently because she was a woman. “I was never asked to do less than the male soldiers fighting next to me,â€Â she said. “I was expected to do the same as everyone else, and that’s what I did.â€Â In 2004, Walter deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a platoon leader and flight medic with the 101st Airborne Division’s 50th Medical Company, based out of Fort Campbell, Ky. “I still remember every patient I worked on, every detail of their injuries and every face,â€Â she said. “Those are some of the things I will never forget.â€Â While deployed as a flight medic, her job was to respond to medical evacuations by helicopter. “I joined as a combat medic to help people,â€Â she said. “Until then, I didn’t realize the capacity in what I could do to save people’s lives.â€Â Walter was recognized for her achievements in a National Geographic book titled, “Count On Us: American Women in the Militaryâ€Â by Amy Nathan, published in 2004. “I was fortunate enough to have leaders that didn’t single me out as a female,â€Â she said. “They gave me the same opportunities as every other soldier under them. They pushed me to strive and work hard to be the best soldier I could be.â€Â During her 17 years of enlisted service, Walter took advantage of the opportunities the Army provided. She attended Baker College in Michigan and earned a bachelor’s degree in health services and administration. In 2007, Walter decided to pursue a commission. “I have seen the Army change … in so many different ways since I joined,â€Â she said. “I have seen it go from ‘Be all that you can be’ to ‘Army of One,’ and now ‘Army Strong,’â€Â she said. “I do miss being [a noncommissioned officer] and working directly with my soldiers. An officer’s job does more of the preparation and planning of missions, and the NCO works directly with the soldiers to execute, and get the missions done.â€Â Walter uses her experience and knowledge to help her staff and soldiers grow in their military careers and to overcome obstacles. “Because of her experience as an NCO, we can turn to her for any questions, advice or concerns we may have,â€Â said Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Grape, battle operations NCO in U.S. Division North. “She teaches me new things about the Army every day, and I use her as a learning tool to help me grow as an NCO.â€Â Walter said she is approaching 21 years of active military service and plans to continue her service until 2017. “I am honored and proud to say that I serve and fight with the most diverse organization in the world, the U.S. military,â€Â she said. March 23, 2011: By Army Pfc. Alyxandra McChesney- U.S. Division North

Seirafi is teamed up with Kit Kat, an energetic 2-year-old German shepherd, after switching to one of his dream jobs.“My partner’s never sick, he’s never late, he doesn’t talk back and he’s always happy to see me,â€Â Seirafi said with a smile. Before assuming responsibility for Kit Kat, the 32-year-old officer attended the Defense Department’s Military Working Dog School at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. “The school was fun, and I really learned a lot,â€Â Seirafi said. “Like most military schools, they put a lot of work on your plate, but I had a lot of fun learning a new skill set.â€Â The 11-week course covered training and patrolling with a dog, searching buildings and detecting narcotics and explosives. Seirafi’s furry sidekick will have a tall task in front of him when it comes to living up to the standard his master already has set here. Seifari received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award nearly a year ago for reviving a 19-month-old toddler at the commissary. He also received the 2010 Security and Emergency Services Lifesaving Award from Maj. Gen. Anthony L. Jackson, commander of Marine Corps Installations West. “I was humbled and a little embarrassed,â€Â Seirafi said. “I felt that I was just doing my job, and I wasn’t used to being the center of attention in front of so many high-ranking people. The general thanked me for doing a good job and told me the Marine Corps was proud of me and to keep up the good work.â€Â Seirafi expects great things from his collared co-worker. “Kit Kat has come a long way since his training started, because he was really hyper when I first got him,â€Â he said. “He’s a bit of a loner too, which I like, because he doesn’t need all of your attention 100 percent of the time like most dogs. “I think we’ll be a good team because we both love to work,â€Â he continued. “We might even be the next Turner & Hooch.â€Â March 22, 2011: By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Houston F. White Jr. -Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Army Pfc. Levi Meyer, one of 49 Army medics and health care providers with the division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team who worked to earn the mark of the expert field medic March 7-11, said the pathways and options open to soldiers are many, but he was choosing to take advantage of the military’s nationally recognized Interservice Physician Assistant Program, with the ultimate goal of possibly becoming a neurologist.“I am applying to IPAP right now,â€Â said the 20-year-old Billings, Mont., native while preparing to navigate the first of three scenario-based testing lanes for the expert field medical badge. As a medic attached to a company of combat engineers, Meyer recently spent a tour in Iraq, traveling the roads between Ramadi and Fallujah hunting for roadside bombs. Army Capt. Jessica Larson, a physician assistant attached to Meyer’s brigade, said the Army’s PA program is an excellent choice. It rates consistently as one of the country’s top physician assistant programs, she said, and the financial support afforded in exchange for service takes a great burden off students. “I went to a state school, so my expenses were a third of a normal PA program,â€Â said Larson, a native of Chicago who left a lucrative career in aviation engineering when she was moved by amputees and other service members recovering from wounds received in Iraq and Afghanistan. “My schooling, housing, books, food and other living expenses cost $106,000 for two and a half years,â€Â she continued, “which included my rotation to Africa. However, without my scholarship, it would have cost around $134,000. PAs who attend private schools are typically coming out with over $200,000 in debt.â€Â

 

[caption id="attachment_4050" align="alignleft" width="300"] Army Pfc. Levi Meyer tests to earn an expert field medical badge in the forests of Fort Bragg, N.C., March 7, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod[/caption] Through the Army’s Health Profession Loan Repayment Program, civilian-trained PAs can have their student loans repaid up to $120,000 in exchange for a three-year additional duty service obligation, which is the route that Larson took. The downside, she said, is that students remain civilians during schooling, so they are not drawing Army pay. “Meyer is saving a lot if he goes to [the Interservice Physician Assistant Program],â€Â Larson said. “To come from that excellent background with no expenses, while drawing either lieutenant or Officer Candidate School pay for those two years, is a huge stress off the education process. “However,â€Â she added, “he is giving back with four years of service as an Army PA, and graduates deploy immediately. Being gone from your family for a year is a nonquantifiable cost, too.â€Â Becoming a physician assistant typically is not a stepping stone to becoming a medical doctor, Larson said, as much of the schooling is redundant. Soldiers considering one or the other should study both career fields and ask lots of questions, she added, because the Army uses physicians and physician assistants in very different ways. For Meyer, who first treated injuries in Montana as a part-time ski patroller at Red Lodge Ski Resort during high school, a priority is to get more hands-on experience as a provider before committing to the long road into medical school. If Meyer decides to become a physician, he’ll use the Army’s Health Provider Scholarship Program to fund medical school, he said. “I have had the full support of everyone in my chain of command, and they have been very helpful with writing letters of recommendation and allowing me the time to complete my packet,â€Â Meyer said. “If all else fails, I can still exit the Army with a master’s degree and a useful skill. “There are a lot of different routes that I can take to arrive at a point where I can start my [scholarship] packet,â€Â he added, “but after doing a bit of research, I feel that [the physician assistant program] is best tuned to my goals.â€Â March 21, 2011: By Army Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division