Posted on 03/30/2006 4:55:49 PM PST by SandRat
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. (March 30, 2006) -- When 24-year-old Emily Dieruf learned that her husband of three months, Cpl. Nich Dieruf, had been killed in an ambush in Al Anbar Provence, Iraq in April 2004, the blissful newlywed was devastated.
Initially after the tragic news, Dieruf and other family members decided to establish the Cpl. Nich Dieruf Memorial Fund in an effort to keep Nich’s name alive. The fund was to provide financial assistance to Marine families living in the Dieruf’s hometown of Lexington, Ky.
Through a family friend, Dieruf learned that another Kentucky based non-profit organization, USA Cares, was already helping support military families nationwide. She met with a representative from USA Cares and they both decided that the two funds would work together to accomplish the same mission.
One thing led to another, and Dieruf became active in USA Cares as a spokesperson. Her duties have taken her to all over the United States, including Quantico. She was here last week for the Commander’s Course Spouse’s Workshop.
A communications major, Dieruf felt at home speaking to women she had never met before. “It’s amazing to see the puzzle pieces of your life fit together, because when I entered college as a freshman, my major was undeclared,” Dieruf said. “I just happened to take a communication course and loved it, so I took another. And obviously that is exactly what I was meant to study because I am now in a position where I use my communication and public speaking skills quite often.”
Dieruf did not get to spend much time with her husband, but that is exactly why she travels, telling her story.
“People need not forget about our fallen soldiers, their sacrifices and the families who are affected,” Dieruf said. “When Nich was killed, I vowed that I would not let him become a mere number or statistic. I live everyday honoring his memory and sacrifice, just like all of those others who fell before and after him.”
Staying true to her word, Dieruf, along with USA Cares, has helped more than 2,000 families by providing or locating over $1 million in financial support. Dieruf’s speaking engagements help military wives by making a sensitive topic more real for them. Many do not like to speak about war and death, but Dieruf sets the stage for honest discussion among the women of her audiences.
“Other military wives react with great sympathy and horror. I represent a harsh reality for them,” she said. “But, overall, everyone has been extremely supportive and understanding.” Although Dieruf was only able to enjoy her marriage with Nich for a brief moment, she will continue to honor her husband and his legacy.
“My husband whole heartedly believed in what the United States is accomplishing in Iraq and Afghanistan and so do I,” she said. “He would write me letters about how the women and children of Iraq would thank the troops for coming to liberate their desperate country.”
That is what keeps Dieruf going, and she lacks no motivation.
“Every day that I get to tell another audience about my personal hero, Nich,” she said, “I am rejuvenated for the following days to come.”
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