In advance of Memorial Day I had a really cool and moving experience I wanted to share....
Kimberly Dozier is the CBS news reporter who was very badly injured in a bombing in Baghdad on Memorial Day 2 years ago. I was lucky enough to have the chance to get to hear her speak today. She has a new book out, Breathing the Fire, and she was talking to us about her experience as a reporter in Iraq, her injuries and recovery, and about why she wrote the book. She was incredibly smart and well spoken, of course, but I was really surprised at how moving she was as well.
After she spoke I stood in line for her to sign a copy of the book for me. I was at the back of the line and by the time I got up to her I was pretty emotional - I started to thank her for coming to speak to us and just started crying. I told her about my cousin who was KIA in Iraq in 2003, and we talked a bit about the importance of the work she and her colleagues are doing - trying to keep the story of Iraq in the news and in people's minds as much as possible. I just felt totally overwhelmed and lost it a little - it surprised me frankly. I can usually speak about Brian without getting too emotional now. After we talked she came around the table and gave me a hug, and then I mentioned something about running and fundraising for the Injured Marines she said she was thinking about starting to run again (her injuries were severe and she was told at one point she wouldn't walk again). She said something about trying to run the Marine Corps Marathon and of course I told her she must do it!
She said a lot of other things during her speech that were very powerful - including the fact that in 2007 Iraq was the #1 news story in the US, and this year its on track to be #7, and about the fact that she recovered largely because she didn't have to pay for any of her needs unlike every solider coming home from Iraq injured - but I'll get on my soap box about all of that another time. I just wanted to post about this today and hopefully remind a few people to pause for a moment while you're enjoying the sun and BBQ this weekend to remember why we all have the day off to do that stuff and think about what that means to you in this election year.....
