By Spc. Cassandra Groce
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment |
TIKRIT, Iraq, March 17, 2006 — The “Dura Mater,” or tough mother, of medicine at the Ambulatory Care Center here is an integral part of the leadership of the 47th Combat Support Hospital, 30th Medical Brigade out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
Maj. Colleen Shiraishi, the officer in charge of the ACC and a nurse practitioner, has served in the military for more than a decade. Being a mother of three with an experienced background in medicine has made her an invaluable asset as well as a beloved member of the hospital.
“She’s totally like my mom,” said Sgt. Melissa Navarro, a member of the ambulatory care center team. “She makes you feel at home.”
In addition to making a foreign country feel like home, she said she is also hoping her time in Iraq will be spent serving the civilians of the country.
“I would like to get involved in the MiTT (Military Transitional Training) team,” said Shiraishi.
Shiraishi, a native of San Diego, Calif., might be getting her wish since hospital members have just finished a series of cultural awareness training classes, including a tea service class. The team plans on using some hospital soldiers in evaluating Iraqi facilities in April.
“We’re really excited about that,” said Shiraishi. “I want to tell my kids I saw the culture, the people and made a difference. This is a difference I can make and go away happy about.” |
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| U.S. Army Maj. Colleen Shiraishi, the officer in charge of the Ambulatory Care Center, 47th Combat Support Hospital, checks the heart beat of Spc. Christy Dandy at Forward Operating Base Speicher, Iraq. Shiraishi has been in the military for over a decade and previously served in the U.S. Navy. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cassandra Groce |
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| U.S. Army Maj. Colleen Shiraishi poses in front of her unit's sign. She is a nurse practitioner in the 47th Combat Support Hospital at Forward Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Cassandra Groce |
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Shiraishi first became a member of the military services in 1991 when she joined the U.S. Navy as a nurse.
“It was destiny; I had the background for this job,” said Shiraishi, who was a nurse’s maid at the age of 14. She gained these skills from her mom who was also a nurse.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Shiraishi switched to the Army.
“It was truly after 9-11,” said Shiraishi. “The Army said they needed nurse practitioners, and that’s what I wanted to do.”
Switching services brought a slew of challenges for the officer who was unfamiliar with the Army.
“At OBC (Officer’s Basic Course) because I came in a major, the NCOIC (noncommissioned officer in charge) gave me an M-16 rifle and said, ‘Here Ma’am, I bet you can show everyone here how to break this down,” said Shiraishi, laughing. “I was like, all Marines would have to be dead before they gave a Navy nurse a rifle. I had only qualified on a 9-mm pistol.”
The change in missions between the services was a new experience for Shiraishi.
“We (Navy nurses) had Marine escorts,” said Shiraishi. “That’s a difference in the services. Our (Army) medics become the security pullers and set-up perimeters. You are a soldier first.”
This soldier-first mentality of the Army has not been the only change for the major. She also has seen a change in the role of women over the years in the military.
“The Army has been good at expanding the role of women because of need, but need is a great motivator,” said Shiraishi. “I think women have gone from an ancillary role to where they are part of the power structure. Twenty years ago it was hard for women to get into a command position.”
Shiraishi said she plans on staying in the military and finishing another 10 years on active duty. |
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