About That About Face

It appears one of the officers featured in a story about active duty military signing a petition to bring our troops home from Iraq isn't quite telling the whole truth.

Navy Lieut. Cmdr. Mark Dearden of San Diego, for example, enlisted in 1997 and is still pondering the possibility of a lifetime career. "So this was a very difficult decision for me to come to. I don't take this decision lightly," he says. But after two "tough" deployments in Iraq, Dearden says signing the Appeal was not only the right thing to do but also gave him personal "closure."

"I'm expressing a right of people in the military to contact their elected representatives, and I have done nothing illegal or disrespectful," Dearden adds.

Two tough deployments? That isn't how Doctor Dearden described it in an alma mater publication at George Washington University. (pdf)

GW ALUM REFLECTS ON IRAQI TOUR OF DUTY
DR. MARK DEARDEN (MD ’01) returned in June from a second tour in Iraq as a
Battalion Surgeon for the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines—stationed in Al Qa’im to maintain the border with Syria and stabilize the Western Al Anbar Province. During his first deployment, Dr. Dearden saw mostly non-battle injuries and sick visits.

However, his second tour involved him treating many casualties “KIAs and WIAs (Killed and Wounded in Action) that were not run of the mill in any sense,” he said.

“One of the best ways that my education at GW helped me out was in improving my confidence, helping me become a decision maker, and encouraging me to come up with innovative ways to accomplish tasks,” said Dr. Dearden. “The POM course in particular was instrumental in exposing me to patients from the second month of my medical school training. Before reporting a patient to my mentor, I would have to develop my own formulation and ideas for how to proceed. That came in handy in Iraq where there was no one else to ask how to proceed and often no reference text.

Small-group problem-based (PBL) sessionswere instrumental in developing my ability to evaluate the available data and make clear-cut decisions. Also, the system based approach gave me the tools to evaluate all of the possible problems that my patients might have in a logical and complete fashion.

I feel fortunate to have received a GW medical education and feel that I was much better prepared than many of my peers with regard to practicing medicine in that type of environment."

No doubt Dearden's colleagues who still wish to serve will be happy to know he felt so much more able than them. Frankly, I think the soldiers would probably prefer them to Deardon. It isn't that I want to denigrate his service. But it looks as if he saw no combat casualities at all his first time around and when he did, it was too much to bear.

They were, "not run of the mill in any sense." No kidding, it's a got-damned war in which you served as a non-combatant. Wonderful gesture you're making to the colleagues you left behind, doc.

I want to know if this guy went to med school on the government's dime.

And this one below is simply priceless:

"Lisa"--20 years old, E-4, USAF, Stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii:

I joined up two weeks after I turned 17 because I wanted to save American lives. I wanted to be a hero like any American child.

I supported the war when I joined because I thought it was justified. Only after my own research and the truth coming out did I learn how wrong I was, how--for lack of a better word--how brainwashed I was.

Now I know the war is illegal, unjustified and that our troops have no reason for being there.

When I saw an article about the Appeal in the Air Force Times I went online right away and signed it and have encouraged others to do the same.

Comments

[Tom Blumer]

".... isn't quite telling the whole truth."

One of many, I'm sure.

By the way best of the Web mentioned you, bigtime (I'm probably the 50th person to tell you):
http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110009406

[Dan Riehl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[SLP]

You are correct to wonder about who paid for Navy Lieut. Cmdr. Mark Dearden's medical education.

He may be one of a very few doctors who serve in the military to pay for medical school, but are looking for any way to get out their obligation to serve.

[Phoenix]

Best of the Web. How right they are.

Very cool, Dan. :}