Posted on 12/01/2008 6:58:51 AM PST by Dysart
SAN ANTONIO — Mary Dague hears the catty whispers sometimes. "So ugly," the strangers say when they think she can’t hear.
The 24-year-old has bright green eyes, a quick smile, and on the days she gets her husband’s help, perfectly applied mascara and blush.
But all the gawkers really see are her arms, each amputated above the elbow.
What they don’t suppose — with no fatigues or standard-issue Army T-shirt to clue them in — is that this chatty young woman, who likes to wear a little black dress to fancy parties as much as the next girl, is an Army sergeant whose arms were blown off as she dismantled a bomb in Iraq. She was awarded a Purple Heart.
In uniform, she’s often recognized as a wounded veteran and thanked for her service. Out of uniform, she pretends not to hear the careless whispers.
"At first, it kind of hurts, and then, it makes you sad," she said.
Sad not for herself, but for those she sees wasting their youth and opportunities.
"I’m 24, and I feel like I’ve lived a full, happy life already," she said.
It’s a life forever marred by an accident that has made even the simplest task a struggle, and rehabilitation is slow. But she’s eagerly looking beyond it, to the day she gets a sophisticated prosthetic arm, and beyond that, to a time when she’s self-sufficient.
Women warriors...
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
Sgt. Mary Dague’s husband, Jared Tillery, brushes her teeth. AP/ERIC GAY
Sgt. Dague eats breakfast with the help of a therapist at her home in suburban San Antonio. She still needs practice with a hook arm before she can be fitted with a prosthetic arm and hand. Dague can feed herself, but avoids doing so in public. AP/ERIC GAY
Can’t imagine why women are anywhere near the front lines or are put in such dangerous situations . . . absolutely no need for her or any other woman to go through that . . . disgusting . . . the poor thing is a victim of our politically correct, mind engineering, new military . . . I feel awful for her and her family.
I’ll probably take a lot of flack for this, but I will not budge.
God bless her and her husband. She just put my titchy little problems into perspective.
Hardly. From the article:
But ask her whether she has any regrets about volunteering to be a bomb tech, and there is no hesitation. "I love that job," she said, swaying her damaged arms. "I miss it. I miss it terribly."
“”I love that job,” she said, swaying her damaged arms. “I miss it. I miss it terribly.” “
I agree . . . she paid a huge price for our putting her in harm’s way . . . she’s undoubtedly one tough soldier . . . I don’t doubt her patriotism one bit. My prayers go out to her and her family.
This has nothing to do with being politically correct, but in what is right. Both male and female have volunteered for the skills that they are in; and are quite competent in what they do. Can all women do it—nope; but then neither can many men.
And what is your response to males being killed or maimed?
God bless her and all America’s warriors. Our little problems pale by comparison.
My hat is off to her.
No flak from me but I disagree. I would be on your side if she had been drafted, but she volunteered. God Bless her.
She must have a sense of humor about it.
What exactly does it say on the front of her t-shirt in the first picture? Something about “...Stumpy.”
I wish her and her husband the best. They are brave people.
Plus one!
Reason # 12, 975 to despise the entire human race. :-(
I am glad that she's getting prosthetic arms (sometimes the stumps left are too short to allow artificial arms/legs) and I hope she does well with them.
She reminds me of Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives-I watched that Saturday, and once again I went through 3 handkerchiefs.
Look at what her T shirt says-she has a great sense of humor.
We owe our vets a debt that we can never really repay.
God bless her,,,
Is a culture that cowers behind the skirts of daughters, wives, and mothers, worthy of survival? As R. A. Heinlein pointed out in his speech to a graduating class at Annapolis, Women and Children First, a civilized order protects its future. Our willingness to risk those emblems of hope is a damning indictment on America.
“And what is your response to males being killed or maimed?”
Not happy with either, but it’s hard for me to see why it’s necessary to put women in harm’s way when we don’t have to. And we don’t have to.
No flak here.
The issues are totally separate.
You can still argue against the policy, while acknowledging that Dague is a superhero with bravo to spare. She is someone that I would have my daughter ~ or for that matter my son ~ look up to as a model of virtue and courage.
God bless her for protecting our freedom.
You are a dope.
She enlisted.
No one is forcing you or yours to enlist so don’t disparage those who do.
“the poor thing is a victim of our politically correct”
The flack you will get from me is for how you see this brave young woman. The rolls of women in combat is a welcome debate, your view of her is contemptible. Brave women have stood with their male counterparts in all our wars, though not to the extent they presently do, and many have paid a terrible price. I doubt many would respond well to your attitude.
I think I've read everything RAH wrote.
If I recall correctly, his female protagonists didn't exactly stay at home baking cookies for their men.
OTOH, a great deal of what he promoted is just not practical for a viable society. There doesn't seem to be much room for children in RAH's worlds. Or in his private life, for that matter.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.