ARMY STAFF SGT. WISHES TO BE A DOCTOR

Army Staff Sgt. Megan Appleby, left, draws blood from a soldier during Warrior Exercise at Fort McCoy, Wis., May 4, 2013. The 4215th U.S. Army Hospital, based out of Richmond, Va., is providing medical support for the exercise. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Face of Defense: Soldier Aspires to Medical Degree
By Army Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk
78th Training Division

FORT MCCOY, Wis., May 6, 2013 - Taking care of the force is something Army Staff Sgt. Megan Appleby feels is her lifelong calling.

The 30-year-old Army veteran of 11 years, who has served both on active duty and in the Army Reserve as a laboratory technician, aspires to be an obstetric gynecologist.

A Lisbon, Iowa, native, Appleby is assigned to the 4215th U.S. Army Hospital command based in Richmond, Va. She said her passion for helping people started when she was very young.

"When I was little, the doctor that delivered my sisters and me was actually our doctor until we were 18 years old," she explained. "Having that doctor who knew you from inside your mom's stomach, and [having] that connection, is really amazing."

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., was Appleby's first duty station from 2002 to 2006, and where she earned a bachelor's degree in microbiology. In mid-2006, she transferred to the Army Reserve and began attending battle assemblies with the 7229th Medical Support Unit. She then transferred to her current unit.

Appleby was deployed to Kuwait in 2003. Being in an environment where there is a feeling of constant danger was scary, she said, but knowing she was surrounded by medical experts allowed her to focus on her job of caring for patients arriving for lifesaving care. That, she added, is the driving force behind her pursuit of a medical career in the military.

Appleby is taking her medical school entrance exam and applying to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to continue her service and military career. The program is a 14-year commitment, she said: four years of classroom studies, three years of residency and seven years of service and commissioning as a captain.

"I look forward to the challenge," she added, "because I enjoy both medicine and serving my country."

AFGHANISTAN: THE "RAPTOR"

Army Pfc. Brennon Van Luven, an infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), poses for a photo after a mission in the Sabari district in Afghanistan, Nov. 5, 2012. Van Luven and his platoon took fire from insurgents while they were talking with villagers and gathering biometric data. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Bonebrake

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Face of Defense: Afghanistan-deployed Soldier Drives On

By Army Sgt. Christopher Bonebrake
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2012 - Army Pfc. Brennon Van Luven had never had a bullet go over his head quite like this.

Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), spent a morning gathering biometric data in the village of Dande Fariqan here and talking with the locals about insurgent activity in the area.

After moving across a road, the platoon came under fire from multiple weapons systems including a rocket-propelled grenade.

As bullets snapped overhead, Van Luven found cover and began to scan the village and tree lines for signs of the shooters.

Van Luven, a native of Erie, Pa., is no stranger to being in contact with the enemy. His mine resistant ambush protected vehicle hit an improvised explosive device a couple weeks ago, sending his platoon sergeant home with a shoulder injury.

An avid "Halo" player, he now knows what it is like to have real bullets shot directly at him, but this does not deter him from doing his job.

"I serve because I wanted the discipline that the Army provides," Van Luven said. "I wanted to make something of myself, have a steady job and be able to stand on my own two feet."

Besides discipline, the Army has provided Van Luven with another important opportunity: driving.

"Before going through the Joint Readiness Training Center when we deployed, I had never driven a vehicle before," Van Luven admitted. "The first truck I ever drove was an Army humvee."

He's had more time behind the wheel in Afghanistan than in the states and has driven every vehicle in the platoon's motor pool.

Van Luven enlisted out of high school. Growing up shooting guns and enjoying the outdoors, he figured joining the infantry would be a good idea.

"I enjoy what I do and I love being out here with my guys," Van Luven said. "We're all really close."

He said the hardest part of being in the infantry is pulling long shifts -- especially performing guard duty after coming back from a mission.

Van Luven is a man of few words, but he lets his actions speak for him.

"He's a really hard worker and never complains," said Army Sgt. Christopher Walker, Van Luven's squad leader. "He's very loyal to his squad and his platoon."

The 2nd Platoon gave Van Luven his two nicknames: "McLovin" and "Raptor." According to most, Van Luven resembles the character McLovin played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse in the comedy "Superbad." Raptor is in reference to the way he runs, closely resembling the dinosaur.

"He loves both his nicknames," Walker said. "He even tattooed 'raptor' on his arm. He's kind of like our squad mascot."

Van Luven doesn't plan on staying in the Army when he redeploys.

"I want to go back home and go to school with the goal of getting hired by the Pennsylvania State Police," he said. "My family is pretty close, so I want to work near home so I can be there for them if they need me."

Van Luven cites his fellow soldiers as his inspiration for continuing to serve his country.

"I love my country, but it sounds like such a cliché when I say it," he said. "I continue to serve because I want to make sure all my buddies make it home safely and I want to finish what I started here."