THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: Memorial Day

Monday, May 28, 2007

Memorial Day

Anna and Lori

Cole and Corbin

Anna, Corbin, and Cole

The Memorial at Fort Sterwart, GA

Well, today is memorial day and we had a good time. We went to the Fort Stewart, GA 3rd Infantry Division memorial that was set up for soldiers who had been KIA during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was really the first time that we had been there. We tried to teach the kids the meaning of memorial day and what this memorial was all about. The most somber moment for me was seeing LT Ashley Huff memorial. I was at the Combat Support Hospital in Mosul, Iraq when they brought her body in, killed in action from an IED blast. I remember, b/c she was part of the 3rd ID (549th MP Unit), where we are stationed.

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Quote of the Day

December 2014, from Cole "It is okay to spend five minutes putting up Christmas lights, but to spend an entire day doing that is pretty dumb."

November 2014, from Tessa "I know that gymnastics is important but the only thing that is important is my family."

October 2014, from Tessa when I asked her if she wanted to go to a movie, "Listen Mom, I have been at school all day doing some challenging work. I just need to rest right now."

September 2014, Tessa to Grandma Jane, " You know Grandma, I would be a really good soccer player if I just had the chance."

June 2014, "Do more than belong, participate. Do more that care, help. Do more that believe, practice. Do more than be fair, be kind. Do more than forgive, forget. Do more than dream, work."

May 2014, "Learn to love without condition. Talk without bad intention. Give without any reason. And most of all, care for people without any expectation."

April 2014, from Tessa, "I'm practicing being a Mom. All you need to do is carry a purse."

April 2014, "When one loves one doesn't calculate." Therese of Lisieux

April 2014, "Experience is a hard teacher because it gives you the test first and then the lessons." Vernon Sanders

April 2014, "This is the great error of our day, that physicians separate the soul from the body. The cure should not be attempted without the treatment of the whole, and no attempt should be made to cure the body without the soul." Plato

April 2014 from Tessa on our spring break, "I sure do miss AJ." (Cole's friend that she thinks is her friend too)

January 2014 from Tessa, "I love you like the sky."

December 2013 from Tessa, "Chocolate makes me so happy."

November 2013 from Tessa, "I love natural sugar."

November 2013 from Tessa, "Dad, do you wear clothes to work?"

November 2013 from Cole, "If I have a boy and a girl I will name them Mike and Bonnie."

November 2013 from Tessa when she was leaving for awhile without her Dad, "don't worry, Dad, in your heart we love each other."

October 2013 from Tessa "My breath is tired. That is why it keeps yawning."

October 2013 from Tessa "So are we going to get a baby at our house?"

September 2013 from Tessa "My tummy said thank you for the yummy muffins."

August 2013 from Cole "I guess I will be going to college at Ohio State."

August 2013 from Tessa "I didn't hear you mom, my ears aren't charged up."

August 2013 from Tessa "I'm going to catch that hop grasser."

August 2013 from Tessa "That hiccup went right down my leg."

July 2013 from Cole "There are three jobs I want: To be in the olympics, to join the Army, and if I make it out of that I want to be a scientist."

July 2013 from Tessa "When Jesus comes I'm going to show him my necklace."

July 2013 from Cole "I am the expert in the family."

July 2013 from Tessa while on a boat in the middle of the lake and informing her that is it deep and there are sharks. "I want to jump in. I'm okay with that."

July 2013 from Tessa " Do you know what inside my head is? It means I am thinking about something."

July 2013 from Cole "That stench is from me."

July 2013 from Tessa "I want to be Perry the Platypus when I grow up."

June 2013 from Tessa "Lizards turn into butterflies, right?"

June 2013 from Tessa "I can't smile because I have lipstick on."

June 2013 from Tessa "I want a pet giraffe."

April 2013 from Tessa "Where were you when we took this picture...in jail?"

April 2013 from Tessa "When it is dark where do my teachers sleep?"

March 2013 from Tessa "This ice cream tastes like cows"

March 2013 from Tessa "I can't believe how much I love Dad"

March 2013 from Tessa "Spiders live in bananas and boots"

March 2013 from Anna "I am craving Star Bucks!"

March 2013 from Cole "What I am wondering is how far down hell is."

March 2013 from Tessa "Bad guys live in trees."

March 2013 from Tessa "I don't need to go to the bathroom, I went last week."

March 2013 from Tessa "Hugo doesn't go toot."

February 2013 from Tessa "Guess what Dad? Anna is practicing the piano and she isn't getting frustrated!"

January 2013 from Tessa "I want to have my birthday party at Turkey Munchken. To get there you drive around to China and park by a blue car."

February 2013 from Tessa while we are driving in the car "can you fast open my music"?

January 2013 from Tessa "I'll get this party started" (after telling her I would be right there to have a tea party with her)

January 2013 from Cole " I don't know how anyone can be happy without clay"

January 2013 from Tessa " Hugo is from China. China is kind of gross. They have a lot of sour things there."

EVERYDAY 2012 from Tessa "Two Shows!"

December 2011 from Tessa, "when I wake up I am going to watch the Grinch".

December 2011 from Anna, "It might be too hot to work in a crayon factory".

September 2011 from Tessa, "I want some poop" translation "I want some soup"

August 2011 from Cole, "Well, it looks like you will have to home school me because I am going to be an Olympian."

May 2011 from Anna, "Mom, when I grow up I want to do an unusual job. I want to be a crayon maker."

November 2010 from Anna, "A cinnamon is a word that sounds like another word but is spelled differently."

October 2010 from Anna, " I want to be a spy when I grow up!"

September 2010 from Cole, " I don't know if I will recognize Dad when he gets old."

September 2010 from Anna when told she looks like her mom or dad, "NO I DON'T, I look like GRANDMA JANE!!!!!"

August 2010 from Cole after fishing and cleaning the fish "Goodbye Buddy!"

July 2010 from Cole "I want to shoot a duck in the back yard"

July 2010 from Anna "I want a pet spider (Black Widow)"

June 2010 from Cole: "I do not want a pet beaver."

March 2010 from Cole: "I know what the two most important things are---God and furniture".

March 2010 from Cole: "You are the best Mom I have ever had".

December 2009 from Cole: "Mom can you turn Tessa's switch off."

October 2009 from Cole: "Dad, I want you to know when I am a Brain Surgeon, that will be a really messy job."

September 2009 from Cole: "Mom I want to marry you because I love you."

September 2009 from Cole: "Isn't it awesome that God makes everything even silly puddy?"

September 2009 from Cole: " How am I going to get people's brains out to fix them when I am a brain surgeon?"

August 2009 from Cole: "Why are the days all hooked together."

July 2009 from Anna while listening to Billy Joel music: "When are they going to play some good purchased music." (from I tunes)

June 2009 from Cole while carrying stuff into the house: "Dad, I wish I had three arms so I could carry more things."

June 2009 from Cole: "Mom when I grow up I want to live in Chicago."

June 2009 from Anna: "Dad I love you even if your teeth are black and gold and silver."

May 2009 from Cole: "Dad I love you more than fish sticks."

May 2009 from Cole: "Mom, we are in love, right?"

May 2009 Did you hear the storm last night? From Anna: "No Mom, I had my ear switches off and my sleep switches on."

Mother's Day 2009 question at primary: "What did you do for your Mom for Mother's Day?" Anna's answer: "I forgot to make my Mom breakfast in bed".

May 2009 From Cole: "Dad if a bad guy broke into the house, I would just get your gun and shoot them!"

February 2009 from Cole: "Mom, do the star wars live in New York?"

February, 2009 from Cole: "I want to change my name to Max Justin Partridge."

December 28, 2008 Question from Primary: "Who is the prophet of our church?" Anna's answer: "Barack Obama"

November 21, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, do you want to be a pirate when you grow up?"

November 11, 2008 From Anna: "Mom, wouldn't it be fun if you kept asking questions." Example: where does water come from, where does oxygen come from. "You can keep asking questions forever." (Lori's thought: sometimes I think I am answering questions forever)

November 9, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, would you like to be an inside dog?"

November 6, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, would you still love Anna if she had a stop sign head?"

October 28, 2008 From Anna: " Mom, Patrick kissed me on the bus." Mom's response: "I need to call Dad". Dad's RESPONSE, "Where does this kid live?"

October 21, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, if there is a bad guy on our ship or jet, I will push him off."

October 20, 2008 From Cole: "I know what day you eat at Wendy's, on Tuesday."

October 9, 2008 From Anna after explaining a very simplified version of the birds and bees: "Mom that sounds like a lot of work."

October 2, 2008 From Cole: : Mom how come they don't wear glasses when they cut my hair?"

September 14th, 2008 From Anna: "Sometimes Cole acts like he is the king of the world."

September 8th, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, where do your teeth go when you close your mouth."

August 29th, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, why am I so handsome?"

August 28th, 2008 From Cole: "Mom, I love you so much---I want to put you in the syrup bottle."

August 27th, 2008 From Anna: "I love EVERYTHING about school!"

Dr. Corbin G. Partridge ‘Iraq Service Made Me a Better Person’

It was another ordinary day in Iraq—Saturday, August 3, 2006. The constant sounds of gunfire, many distant but some sounding dangerously close, served as a constant reminder that this is a war zone. On any day in Iraq, there is no escaping the violence. And yet you might have been lulled into a false sense of security as a group of Iraqi soldiers laughed and shouted during a friendly soccer match, while their families watched.

Dr. Corbin G. Partridge, OMS, 47th Combat Support Hospital and a native of Salina, Utah, had experienced the war, but he wasn’t mentally prepared for what happened next. A suicide vehicle-with an explosive device detonated in Al Hadr, Iraq in the middle of the soccer game. The Toyota pick-up truck had exploded, killing 11 instantly and injuring 24. It turned August 3, 2006 into one of those dates that Dr. Partridge will never forget, commenting, “It will be etched in my mind forever, the destruction these improvised explosives do to the human body.”

After the explosion and helping triage the 24 patients, Dr. Partridge treated the maxillofacial trauma victim, an Iraqi citizen whose face was badly injured by shrapnel wounds just below his right eye. A piece of shrapnel had destroyed the bottom of the eye socket and cheekbone.

Treating war injuries is not part of Dr. Partridge’s practice at Winn Army Hospital where he is stationed at Ft. Stewart, but he learned fast to confront gruesome scenes of war and move quickly to treat war wounds.

Sgt. Paul Crisp, surgical technician, assisted as the two first cleansed the wound, removing pieces of shrapnel and dirt. Then reconstruction could begin.

Dr. Partridge used a metal mesh to reconstruct the eye socket. After the mesh was screwed into place and the eye socket was complete, Partridge could begin to reconstruct the cheekbone. This he did with a piece of titanium that was shaped to match the opposite cheek bone. It was then screwed into place.

The OMS was pleased with the results. The Iraqi citizen’s face had been restored.

“This gentleman was extremely lucky,” said Dr. Partridge. “The surgery went very well.”

Despite the many dangers that surround him in Iraq, Dr. Partridge speaks of the satisfaction that comes with providing this type of critical care. Indeed, the fact that it takes place in such a dangerous environment makes success even more meaningful. He said he is constantly reminded of how lucky he is to have chosen a profession that has the potential to help so many people—and so profoundly.

Dr. Partridge joined the National Guard in 1993 as a combat engineer to help pay for college. He graduated from Southern Utah University with a BA in biology.
He completed his OMS residency at Indiana University in Indianapolis.

After finishing his undergraduate degree, Dr. Partridge signed up for the Health Professions Scholarship Program. This scholarship gives people seeking health professions the education and experience while serving in the armed forces.

“I was still in the military. They were just delaying me into coming to active duty,” said Dr. Partridge. “The way it works is I went through three of the four years of schooling with the Health Professions Scholarship Program, so I have to return three years to the military as an OMS, but I was on educational delay because I went into a civilian residency.

Dr. Partridge noted that one of the most gratifying aspects of his service is the deep appreciation that the Iraqi people have shown him. Their gratitude, he said, is so genuine, that it comes through, even with all the language barriers. They make the hard days bearable.

His wife and two children wait eagerly for him to return home for good: “They support me while I am over here,” said Dr. Partridge, “but they would like me to come home.” He looks forward to doing that soon too.
He did go home again—and he knows some things have changed—that as a person, he has changed in fundamental ways.

“I felt like I was very patient and a good man before, but just being here has made me understand patience even more and to be more humble with what I have,” he said. “This experience has made me a better doctor and surgeon, but it has also made me a better person, because I have learned patience and understanding of what people go through in life.”