Presidential visit leaves a lasting impression

[FightingIrish]

This is article from my local paper about a young lady,a high school classmate of my son, and her encounter with President Obama in Landstuhl, Germany.

"St. Marys graduate accompanies Obama as he spoke with wounded soldiers at German hospital.

By Paul Fattig
Mail Tribune

The intensive care unit was uncomfortably hot, and an unpleasant odor permeated the room where a sedated burn patient was undergoing treatment.

But that didn't stop the visitor from donning a surgical gown and gloves and entering the room.

"He didn't have to go in there — it took a lot of time to put the stuff on," observed surgical nurse Alexandra Tomlinson, a 2004 graduate of St. Marys High School in Medford. "The room is so hot, almost 110 degrees. It smelled bad because of the drainage."

The Friday night visitor was President Barack Obama. The ICU was in the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where many soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are taken for treatment. Tomlinson, 22, the daughter of Daniel and Julie Tomlinson of Medford, is a second lieutenant who arrived at Landstuhl early in March after joining the Army last October."

-snip-

"We have a president truly supporting our troops," she added. "I'm also inspired by the people I meet coming through here. There are so many young men losing their limbs. We can't ever forget about them."

-snip-

http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090607/NEWS/906070332

[ClarkUSA]

1. Thanks for the touching story.

[jenmito]

2. K&R. Beautiful!

[Frustratedlady]

3. What a touching article.

It is difficult to even begin to imagine what these poor souls have been through in these awful conflicts.

I suppose the Repugs can find something to criticize Obama for...they are so good at it...but it sounds to me like his visit was much more touching than those by our former CIC.

[Phx_Dem]

4. Great story. I wonder why it is so hot in ICU?

110 degrees? Yikes.

[ClarkUSA]

8. When 40% of your innards are exposed to the air, the room needs to be very warm to prevent chills.

[MoJoWorkin]

5. Yet another reason I love my President..

He is human in the very best of ways, while being a very extra-ordinary man.

I remember in a speech Michelle gave during the campaign where she said that what is important is what a person does in the shadows, when no one is looking. This is another example of the content of his character.


I am not the least bit sorry I volunteered my time and gave money to help get him elected--in fact, he keeps exceeding my already high expectations.

[FightingIrish]

7. His visit to Landstuhl was off limits to the press

This article is kind of a sneak peek into a remarkable event that was not meant for public consumption. I am trying to picture Presidenct Obama in his surgical scrubs. Like you, I'm glad we hired him.

[AtomicKitten]

6. He's showing them what a caring president looks like.

Junior didn't arm the soldiers properly, forced them to deploy over and over again, and cut services and benefits for them. To this day I wonder why the Democrats didn't nail the Republicans to the wall with that.