Preface To the War Series

“At the war’s end, I, too, promised myself that I had done with talking about it.  I had talked and lived war for six years, and I was longing to pay attention to something – anything – else.  But that is like wishing I were someone else.  The war is now the story of our lives, and there’s no subtracting it.”
page 70 of GLaPPPS

About a week ago, I finished a wonderful novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Tuesday I finished The Postmistress.   Both books were accidental reads for me.  The first, I selected at Barnes and Noble because it had a cover that made me pick it up (and it was half price), and the second was one my mother gave me during my last visit to NC.  I had no idea that both would have World War II as the unifying storyline with woman protagonists.  Reading these two books about a topic that’s already been written about for decades, but which were penned with fresh voices and original perspectives (not unlike Sarah’s Key which I also immensely enjoyed a couple years ago), reminded me that my story can be “new,” too, if I mentally and emotionally commit to writing in my genuine voice.  What these individual stories offer within the context of a larger one is the distilling down of a tangled mess of events and emotions that one could never make sense of otherwise.  My hope is to do the same with my story.

When I originally began this writing journey, I did not have any desire to discuss my time in the Marine Corps, the wars, veterans, etc.  I wanted to write about my world travels and sporting adventures.  But these war stories, past and present, seem to keep finding me, and even though I’ve posted snippets about my time in the Marine Corps, or journal excerpts from my deployments to Iraq, I’ve recognized that I need to get more focused again. I’ll probably still blog about a variety of subjects, but for the most part, I’ll try to focus on the deployment theme.  So, tomorrow I plan to start my “war series” which will kick off with my journal entries from the few days before I left for my first deployment to Iraq. 

Come with me on my quest if you’d like ;)

Fundraising Fanatic

October has accidentally (and happily) turned into a volunteerism-filled month for me.  A couple weeks ago, I wrote an article for USAFL about Breast Cancer to kick the giving-back theme off, but please read below to see the other ways in which I’m getting involved and how you can, too! J 

1.    I recently connected with the organization Semper Fidelis Health and Wellness (SFH&W) http://www.semperfidelishealthandwellness.org/ through long-time friend from UVA and fellow Marine Corps vet, Kate Hendricks.  She is a board member for the non-profit group and put me in touch with the founder, Elijah Sacra. 

a.    SFH&W has enabled many severely disabled veterans the opportunity to receive alternative health and wellness care besides the military and “jarhead” type regimens that are typically offered.  Check out their Facebook page to read more about the program http://www.facebook.com/events/#!/SemperFidelisHealthandWellness

b.    SFH&W has already grown drastically since its inception and accomplished great things, but still needs donations, volunteers, and support.   Many thanks to the handful of you who already have donated to my page, but if you haven’t yet, please do so here:  http://semperfidelishealthandwellness.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=485826&supid=342741503

c.       If you are a health care provider or fitness instructor and want to offer your services in any capacity please reach out to Elijah, Kate, or me.  For instance, Pete’s brother-in-law, Dr Timothy Erickson, is a chiropractor in the Chicagoland area and wants to participate http://www.drtimerickson.com/ and Kate is a yoga instructor http://precision-wellness.com/ often offering classes at no cost other than donations to SFH&W. 

2.       For my first specific fundraising effort, I will participate in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walks in Columbus OH next weekend, 23 October 2011. Although, I have a fundraising link for this race, please donate to my SFH&W page instead.  I am individually giving to the AFSP, so I’ve got that part covered. J  I felt this was a particularly relevant walk in which to participate since so many veterans struggle with suicide due to military service related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

3.       Childhood bestie from Northern Virginia, the lovely Victoria George Jensen, is a key member of the non-profit group Give N Go http://thegivengoproject.org/ .  She and I talked yesterday about ideas for things to do here in Ohio.  Hopefully sooner rather than later, I will be hosting a soccer clinic in the Columbus area for children without homes which will double as a local gear-distribution event.  If you are interested in helping me with the clinic (soccer skills not required), just spending time with the kids at the event, or donating gear, let me know!  I am starting to collect already – old cleats, running shoes, shin guards, socks, shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.  As much as we appreciate adult-sized items, please keep in mind these donations are going to children.  Therefore, if you’ve got kids of your own, nieces, or nephews please grab some of their old stuff, too! J

4.       Throughout the month, I will continue my contributions to breast cancer awareness.  If you haven’t read my article yet, please see http://sempersarahp.blogspot.com/2011/09/semper-survivor.html .  I still have pink earrings from design line Breaux Company available for sale and will donate 50% of those sales to http://www.komenaustin.org/make-a-donation/ .  Additionally, 10% of the proceeds from anything else I sell from Breaux Company in the month of October will be given to the charity.  Get your Christmas shopping done early! ;)  I’ve got incredible men’s and women’s sweaters, gloves, scarves, and hats, as well as legwarmers and dresses for the ladies.  Reach me at sarahp@breauxcompany.com if you’re interested. 

In summary - give to disabled vets, give to suicide prevention, give to children without homes, or give to breast cancer research - either way, please, do give :)
Thanks!!

Semper Sport: A Season's Send-off

The leaves have turned, the air has chilled, and the sidewalks are wet with pre-winter weather.  Fall is closing in on the Northern Hemisphere and closing, too, is my fantastic football-filled (nearly) full-time sports season of 2011.  From futbol (soccer), to football (Gaelic), to footy (Australian Rules), my year was overflowing with athletic adventure. I couldn’t feel more blessed to have the opportunity to combine the things I love so much – friends, sport, and travel – on so many occasions throughout this year.

I’ve already written wrap-up pieces to the Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro Brazil in July where I was reunited with dear Dutch friends as well as my US soccer gal pals, and Gaelic Football Nationals in San Francisco in September where I rejoined my DC Gaels team and visited soccer friends in Monterey afterwards, so now it’s time to pay homage to the Australian Football gods and talk a bit about the USAFL Nationals in Austin, TX this October after which I linked up with soccer buds, Duncan in Austin and Jen in San Antonio.  {Yawn. I had to take a nap after that sentence. ;-p Ok, I’m back now.}

The Columbus Jack and Jillaroos combine sport with social life, kindness with competition, and planning with fun, all with aplomb.  Before I even moved to Ohio, through emailing with Sara “Mouth” Matheson (Jillaroos team leader extraordinaire) I got the feeling I would love Aussie Rules Football and my future footy teammates. I was so certain of this that I registered for Nationals before even relocating from DC or ever touching an Australian football! J  Then, less than a week after moving in, I made it to my first Monday afternoon practice.  As I jogged across Tuttle Field toward a huddle of girls, I felt no apprehension about joining the crew. Later that week, I attended a men’s practice, feeling equally comfortable there.  In a setting where the norm would likely be exclusivity via inside jokes and alienation via cliques, both teams broke the mold and, instead, warmly invited me into their circle.  Even though a large contingent of the male players, for instance, have known each other since high school or earlier, not once did I feel like the proverbial sore thumb among these long-time buddies of the Columbus suburbs.  Pete, too, expressed these sentiments.  On several drives home after practice and/or after hanging out at team pub, Byrne’s, we both remarked how welcomed we felt among the group, how nice everyone was, and how we never felt excluded.  We moved here knowing no one, yet quickly had a group of friends in a big city.    

Fast forwarding through the season from May, through June, July (I was gone all month), August (highlight: Jills’ Toronto trip), September (highligh: Jacks’ Raleigh trip), and various home games and “metro” scrimmages, we come to Nationals in Austin this October.    I missed Game 1 L but stepped foot off the plane from Chicago with enough time to power walk from the gate to the curb, grab a cab, and run to the field to make it for the Jillaroos second game.  We won! J   I was travel-weary and foggy-headed, disappointed in myself for not contributing as much as I would have preferred, but happy to have made it there in one piece and to link up with the Jillaroos as well as meet the girls from other cities who combined with us to make one big team. 

Pete missed his first game, too, but had plenty of time to prep for the Jackaroos second game.  The break between our matches allowed a window of opportunity for Jills teammate, “Kujo,” and I to grab authentic Aussie pies and Coopers from the beer tent, chat a little, then get back to the field to watch the Jacks play.  Minutes after I got there, Pete ran off the field, holding his face, hands covered in blood – he’d been elbowed in the eye.  So, off we went to the medic tent (after I shared some choice words with the bloke who hit him) to get Pete cleaned up and bandaged, back to the turf to watch the second half, then off to the ER for a few hours and five stitches.  By the time we got to the hotel that night, I was spent.  Most of the Jacks went out on the town and Jills went out to dinner, but I crashed in my hotel room.

The Sunday morning rain ushered in bad news: the Jillaroos had missed qualifying for the semi-finals by ONE POINT.  In a game that often reaches into the 20’s or 30’s, or even as high as 100, one point is a crazy small fraction of a difference.   I was bummed out that we didn’t earn a slot to compete for the finals L Regardless, we were all excited to play that day.  The men, too, despite their hangovers, were revved up for their final match which, for me, was “Game 2.5.”  Yup, Coach Fish asked me to suit up in a Jacks jumper and play with the men! Nearly as soon as I took the field, Derek and I co-tackled an Aussie – it was great! Haha.  Other than that, I didn’t contribute much to the game, but it was still a blast to get out there on the pitch with the boys.

I left the men’s game with enough time to run across the park to catch the last ten minutes of warm up with the Jillaroos.  Lucky for us, we had one more new addition to the team that day, a stellar gal who plays for the US Freedom, Judith Stein.  We were amped up and ready to win…which we did! J  It was a great game.  The entire team played with skill and heart, and gave a performance to be proud of (in front of the throngs of drunken boys and girls at the beer tent which bordered our field J).  I was much happier with how I played that last game; I scored three goals and one behind for a total of 19 out of our 38 points.  I even hit the goal post two more times, achieved an on-the-run dribble, and gave it my all despite my swelling calf from a massive Charlie horse I got in the first five minutes. When the final whistle blew, though, we raised our arms in victory, smiled proudly, and clapped one another on the back with “good jobs” and “awesome play.” Spectators cheered for us…as they well should, for a nearly infant club came to Nationals and vastly improved their record from the year before.  This two year-old team, which seamlessly intertwined with Boston and Baltimore, went from zero wins to two convincing ones! Despite not even making it to the semis, we received notoriety through our team work ethic and via our Boston teammate, Emily Riehl, who deservedly won the fair play award. Well done, ladies. J

Of course even though we’d played our last game, there was more footy fun to be had as the crowd grew and people cheered and booed for the men’s Division 1 Final on the main field and the famous 6^th Street of Austin was patrolled later that evening.  Two days and two nights were jam-packed with great memories, new friends, and fun times.  Above all else, though, I hope my words pay tribute to the Columbus Australian Rules Football Club, the individual members who work so hard to keep it humming along (Sara, Scooter, Alan, Chet, Krause), the USAFL at large, new friends (Emily, Andrea, Kristina, Renee (the list really could go on and on), the causes it contributes to (Breast Cancer), the opportunities allowed (me being the only “lady player” - as the umps called me - in a Men’s Division 3 match), and the bonds forged.  For those of you who couldn’t make it, we felt your absence. I’ve played sports my whole life, but it is not every day, not even every year, that a person comes across a club quite like this.  Thank you ‘Roos and USAFL, too ;)  It would be an honor to be a part of this fraternity for years to come. 

I hope everyone got home safely. God Bless and MUCH love to all footy players and spectators from this weekend,

Sarah “Plums” Plummer “PP”

look carefully....i'm in there ;)

Here's Hopin' to Make the Nooner

As a follow up to yesterday’s post, today I offer the story of “Nooner.” 

A few days ago, my Aussie footy friend, Chet, said, “I hope you make the nooner!” He was referring to the 12 o’clock game we have at the US Australian Rules Football (USAFL) National Tournament...and my infamous nickname from my first deployment to Iraq in 2005.  (I’d previously made the mistake of sharing the story of aforementioned nickname over beers one night at the team pub ;-p  ).  You see, I’ll be arriving to the tournament late, missing the Jillaroos’ first game at 9am, arriving in Austin at 11am, and scurrying from the airport to the field in order to hopefully make the noon game.

Columbus/Baltimore/Boston combo team at USAFL Nationals Oct 2011 Austin TX

Aaaaanyway, to the story – Life at the squadron wasn’t too bad.  We didn’t have a “real” chow hall because we were far enough removed from the main part of Al Taqaddum Air Base (aka: Mainside) to not warrant one.  Therefore, you could either go to the tent chow hall near our living quarters which was sort of like a real chowhall, or stay at the flight line and eat from the troughs filled with whatever remnants from the main chowhall the S-4 Marines could scrounge up and bring back to us.  (Those same Marines then had oh-so-pleasurable duty to serve everyone cafeteria-lady-style at meal time.)

Well, about a week before Christmas, the S-4 officer, Capt W, sent out an email to the entire squadron which said he would like to have the Officers serve the Marines their chow on Christmas Day.  He detailed the meal times, how many people he needed for each, and closed by asking the officers to volunteer for the morning, noon, or evening meals.  Still in the throes of my “Pep Rally” attitude at that point in the deployment, I immediately hit “reply all” and said: “I’ll do the nooner! J Sign me up! Lt P.”  Yes, I actually put an exclamation point and a smiley face.   Nearly as soon as I’d hit “send,” I heard Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! as my email began exploding with the signal of incoming email.  Replies ranged from the confused: “What did you say?” to the ridiculous “You’ll do the nooner!?  Then everyone in the squadron will want to do the nooner!” In a matter of a few minutes, my email inbox was jammed.  I laughed, but didn’t really know why.  Equally entertained and confused, I finally consulted my friendly buddy and mentor, “Funky.”  Doubled over in laughter, he explained the concept of a “nooner” to me: When you go home at lunch to have sex with your wife.  “Well, Pep Rally, I consider this a tribute to your innocence,” he said.  

From that day forward, I had to add “Nooner” to my ever-growing list of nicknames. 

“The best gift you have to offer when you write personal history is the gift of yourself.  Give yourself permission to write about yourself, and have a good time doing it.” Zinsser

Semper Susie Q

me pointing at the gift bags/boxes I organized for the S-2 Marines, Dec '05, TQ Iraq

Discussions about my nicknames come up regularly enough that I decided it was time to write a blog or two about some of these monikers of mine ;-)  Although I already have more than thirty nicknames, I always get a kick out of whatever new ones my friends manage to come up with.  For instance, since moving to Columbus, OH and joining the Jillaroos Australian Rules Football Team, I have since been dubbed: “Plums” (not a new one, but now used with more frequency than ever before J ), “Crack,” “Mario,” and “PP.”  Guys, chime in if I’m forgetting any!

Here are the shortened versions of the stories behind some of the nick names I acquired on my first deployment to Iraq from 2005-2006.

1. Susie Q – This was the first new callsign lovingly bestowed upon me. Capt J took it upon himself to start calling me that almost immediately upon our arrival to Iraq.  When I finally inquired as to why he always called me that (I was afraid he meant it in a derogatory way), he explained, “I don’t know.  You’re just like….Susie Q….you’re just like a nice, Susie Q kinda girl.”  That was it, but the name stuck.  That’s all he ever called me the whole time we worked together.  Occasionally another officer would call me that, but it was mostly just Capt J’s name for me.

2. Pep Rally – (or “PR” for short) – this one emerged a couple months into the tour, while I was temporarily at Al Qa’im supporting surge operations. Capt F started this one, and it caught on amongst the whole squadron.  This was pretty much what I was called by all the officers for the remainder of my time at VMU-1.  According to him, I was so frequently in a good mood, often lifting the morale of the unit, that I rightfully earned the nickname.  I have to confess, though – I had selfish reasons (initially) for being so upbeat all the time.  I did it just to get my mind off of things, almost “tricking” myself into being happy while I was in Iraq…but soon enough, it became real, and in some ways I really was happy a lot of the time during that first deployment.  I tried to think of the other Marines more than I thought about myself. because otherwise you could get into a downworld spiral of unecessary self pity in a snap.  Plus, my friends and family were so amazing about sending care packages to me that I would often round up the “extra” stuff and make small care packages for some of the Marines that weren’t getting mail from home. And at Christmas, another officer and I made huge gift bags for all of the guys in our section with a combo of gifts from his parents, my friends and family, and stuff we personally bought.  I’m not gonna lie, it made me feel good.  So, was I literally happy ALL of the time?  Realistically, of course not...but I think Pep Rally emerged more from me being a goof ball than anything else. ;-p

3. Wonder Kid – another nickname I don’t entirely understand, and one I don’t feel I was particularly participatory in, but a name that stuck nonetheless.  Through our working relationship with a Cobra squadron, one of the new Lieutenants and I became friends.  We often commiserated about the deployment, missing family and friends, and general chatter via the secure instant messenger chat.  Through getting to know one another, he just called me Wonder Kid one day.  I asked him why and, aghast that I didn’t know the reference, explained an old cartoon about the Wonder Kids and said I was like one of those characters because I did a little bit of everything and always seemed to be getting into adventures.

4. Dusty AQ (shortened to just “Dusty”) – this is the only name that somewhat irritated me.  I also acquired this one in Al Qa’im, but I didn’t catch wind of it until I returned to TQ.  Apparently someone at the neighboring Cobra squadron (in AQ) took a picture of me one day when I was getting ready to go for a run.  I’m not sure how many of you have seen Marine Corps issue PT gear (aka: work out clothes) but the little green shorts are…well….little.  The story goes that whoever took the picture was trying to get a photo of the dust storm, not of me.  So, that begs the question, if he was really just getting a weather pic, why did he email it to my Squadron C.O. back in TQ????  Of course it was all a big joke.  Anyway, when I returned to our home base (TQ) everyone there snickered and called me “Dusty.”  I was completely confused.  Finally someone showed me the picture and explained the reference.  From then on, my C.O. called me that because he knew it made me mad.  Now it makes me laugh. J

then-SSgt Tataje & I discussing something by my desk...I'd like to draw your attention to the pumpkin on my desk covered in red tissue paper labled "Merry Christmas" and the mini Christmas tree.  As the date on the picutre indicates, it wasn't even December yet, but I'd begun accumulating Christmas goodies in order to fully embrace the Pep Rally Christmas spirit ;) It doesn't look like much, but our CO used to get pissed when I'd put goodies on my desk...so it was kind of big deal that I had that stuff there at all.  Later I added Christmas chains and a tiny pooping reindeer among other items..hehe

Semper Anu

I keep coming across articles written by Anu Bhagwati, a female Captain USMC vet.  Click on the link below and have a read.
http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/2009/03/%e2%80%9clonely-soldier-monologues%e2%80%9d-only-opens-an-essential-national-conversation-by-anuradha-k-bhagwati/


Or, just read my response if you're short on time since I site large portions of her article:

Anu,

Recently, I have found several of your wonderful articles while I've been researching other topics.  This is yet another one that succinctly and adeptly addresses multiple issues about women in the military.  I, too, am USMC Captain veteran who experienced years of harassment while I was in the Corps.  Also, I was raped by a fellow Marine.  I don't see myself as a victim, although, by all definitions I was one.  It happened in 2003, so with eight years of separation it’s easy for me to say now that I identify what happened to me as wrong, but that I’ve healed, moved on, made my peace with it.  I know that wasn’t how I felt for a good couple of years afterwards, but either way, then or now, I never wanted or want pity. If anything, I wanted understanding.  The crazy thing is that reporting the rape was almost worse than the actual experience itself, and the administrative aspect of this whole issue where I think the system still needs the most work. 

Anyway, when you said “The focus on portraying poor or ignorant girls from the hood rescued by recruiters, or naïve daughters of military-loving, flag-waving families, plays into misplaced audience pity—and triggers deep-seated cultural insecurities about women’s presence in the military—instead of serving military women themselves. Few real-life female soldiers actually see themselves as victims, so why should we?” hit the nail on the head.  Not everyone who joins is an extremist, a victim, or looking for a way out; certainly, some are, but like you said, this play seems to be propagating that as the norm.  Moreover, just because someone was a victim of abuse before entering the military, doesn't mean that's WHY they join.  I think that’s great when women are able to mentor one another when they discover other abuse victims among their female comrades, but sometimes there does seem to be an overemphasis on this connection.  Conceptually, I think the victim-hood discussion is similar to your comment “Among the white servicewomen chosen for portrayal are brainwashed daughters of right-wing, America-loving zealots. For example, one character, a Bible-thumping small-town teenager as gung-ho and out of place as Mother Theresa in camouflage, can’t wait to do “God’s work” in the Army. But the reality is that many troops cross faith with service to one’s country without becoming ignorant crusaders or overzealous missionaries.” I felt called to the Marine Corps myself, but not in the sense of needing to embark on a Crusade.  I simply felt that God wanted me in the Marine Corps because that was where I was supposed to be at that point in my life both personally and professionally.  

I haven't seen the play you wrote about above, but I have read many articles and seen many interviews that portray the same basic idea you express here:  “Despite these steps in the right direction, I can’t help but writhe at the script’s tendency to fall into familiar patterns of stereotyping servicewomen. Benedict focuses on troops who have been particularly traumatized by life. But there are just as many real life recruits who sign up for military service because they are bored, or are naturally drawn to the rigors of military discipline. In addition, Benedict’s left-leaning sympathies seem to keep her from an accurately nuanced representation of military culture.”  Even having personally experienced both trauma and triumph in the Marine Corps, it is difficult to talk about the bad without people (whether left-leaning or not) honing in on the distress.  It’s hard to express having been a victim because it’s almost always a double edged sword – you can talk about it and offer an example of survival to other victims or feel the cathartic benefits of verbalizing what happened to you… but you will almost always end up judged or pitied, or sometimes both.

It is disappointing to see women vets bow to PC demands when asked about how women are treated in the military.  I just watched yet another TV interview of a female vet who was asked about the treatment of women in the military; she answered in vanilla verses.  “Well, if you work hard, you are treated fairly.” I scoffed.

It's not that hard work isn't respected, but there isn't a linear relationship between work ethic and professional reward.  You don't always see the best women getting the most respect.  In fact, I frequently observed the strongest women getting treated the worst because those were the women the men were the most threatened by! A lot of men join the Corps to prove, in some respects, how manly they are; therefore, when they witness a woman completing the exact same physical tasks they are, it's as if they can't process it.  I’m not saying every single woman in every single service has been harassed, abused, and/or raped, but many have and should not feel ashamed to say so. I know why they don’t though.  They don’t want to look like complainers – by men or women.  They don’t want to look weak.  They don’t want to badmouth the service they were proud to serve.  They don’t want to look unappreciative of the opportunities afforded them while serving.  I didn’t want to do any of those things either.    If a woman feels as though she will lose the respect of her peers for speaking up – whether it be about something “minor” like harassment or something major like rape – then the intentional and unintentional suppression of reporting these incidents will continue. 

Furthermore, I believe one reason cases of harassment/assault of women in the military is seemingly over-reported is because the military purposely claims to hold itself to higher standards of conduct than the general public and many people join for that very reason - to be a part of something perceived as better. We are told over and over again, particularly in the Marine Corps, the few the proud....so why shouldn't we be disenchanted and outraged then when that standard is grossly violated?

Above all, my hope is that we – women, men, active duty, vets, civilians – continue to evolve in a positive direction to where we can strike a balance in our reactions to the abuses women do suffer in the military. 

Thank you for your writing (and your free yoga in NYC)! J

Sincerely, Sarah from www.sempersarah.com

Also see this article about sexual assault and PTSD

www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/09/10616/almost-one-third-iraq-afghanistan-women-veterans-ptsd-report-military-sexual

Semper Survivor

With Nationals now less than a week away, I wrote this article in tribute to the United States Australian Football League's efforts (specifically, the efforts of women's footy director, Andrea Casillas) to support women's health and female footy players, and to any family and friends affected by breast cancer.


Australian Rules Football brings us together: eight women ranging in age from early twenties to mid thirties, from part time student to full time professional, from the novice footballer to the experienced athlete.  Despite our differences, if you saw us on the pitch, you’d think we were all about the same type of healthy, “normal” young woman. Our footy skills would leave no room for wonder about whether or not something was wrong with us. Now look at the picture and try to figure out which one of us has dealt with breast cancer or breast disease. It's hard to tell just by looking, isn't it?  Well, there isn’t one of us that's been affected; it’s half of us. 

Clichés are clichés because they are so true.  Here’s one for you: you never know who’s dealt with this disease or not.  My teammats are young, yet many of them have already been affected directly and indirectly by breast cancer; my life, too, has been "indirectly" affected.  One of my best friends lost her mother to breast cancer when she was nine, subsequently growing up in a household of men since she only had brothers.  A childhood friend of mine’s mother has had a decade-long ongoing battle with breast cancer that causes stress for the whole family; they never know when it, cancer, might rear its head again to deal its final blow. In high school, I ran track with a super star athlete who had full blown breast cancer in her teens. Another one of my friend’s mother died while we were in our early twenties. 

As for me, well, I had a tumor removed two and a half years ago, as a fair-the-well sendoff from the Marine Corps, one last free surgery before I was out the door and on my way around the world on my own terms.  Even though backpacking through Europe with stitches in your breast isn’t exactly conducive to comfortable travel, I left one week after my surgery anyway. But ...I was embarrassed when I flinched while raising my arms to put on my pack.  I was embarrassed that I couldn’t go for a jog for months.  Moreover, I didn’t feel like myself; I was an athlete and needed to run and jump to feel alive. I was embarrassed when the stitches got infected, but couldn’t do anything about it, so I just went on with my plans.  If I did mention it, people would often correct me, “You mean you had a cyst?”  No, a tumor (of which I’ll likely get more, which could be cancerous, the doctors informed me post-surgery.)  Yes, women our age, and younger, get breast tumors, breast cancer, breast disease. I was one week away from my 28th birthday when I had the surgery. 

Breast cancer isn’t about pink t-shirts, rosy cupcakes, and 20 mile power walk parties – it’s about your mom, your sister, your girlfriend, your friend.  Though it affects everyone differently, the ripples it causes are much further reaching than its immediate victim.  Please take a little time this month to think of, volunteer for, or donate to a breast cancer charity of your choice.  Thank you.

* Even though you just read the article here on my blog, please click on any of these links to see the other places it was posted :)  http://sasapluplu.hubpages.com/hub/Australian-Rules-Football-Brings-Breast-Cancer-Survivors-Together , on the League's homepage http://www.usafl.com/  , and on Women's Footy page http://womensfooty.com/news/2011-10/nationals-go-pink-breast-cancer-awareness .  Thank you so much for your support. 

* The United States Australian Football League is proud to support the efforts in combating breast cancer and raising awareness. Look for the women’s field demarcated with a pink center circle and you’ll find a league of women, playing with pink footies, proudly representing their home clubs from across the nation. These pink footies will be sold at the fields. Also, Sarah has partnered with design line, Breaux Company, to donate half of her proceeds from selling pink earrings and fingerless gloves at 2011 USAFL Nationals to Susan G Komen for the Cure Austin http://www.komenaustin.org/make-a-donation/