True Sisters in Arms

To understand just how close Sgt. Jessie Venable and Spc. Crystal Davis are, you have to know a little about how far they've come together. They met in Bamberg, Germany, in March 2005 when Davis was assigned to work as a track mechanic with the U.S. Army's 54th Engineering Battalion. Venable, a combat medic, was already there when Davis moved in across the hall in the barracks.
A sergeant made sure the two met right off, figuring they might have something in common as both were native Southerners and women assigned to an Army unit that was overwhelmingly male.
"We were either going to click or clash," said Davis, 22. "There wasn't going to be any in-between."
They hit it off right away and became fast friends. Though neither one had any idea at the time, they were going to become closer than sisters. Their bond would be tightened in combat and sealed in blood when the 54th was deployed to Al Ramadi, Iraq.
The unit moved out in November 2005 and settled into a routine that included missions to clear out roadside bombs.
Instead of working tanks and other tracked vehicles, Davis wound up driving a recovery vehicle used to pull Humvees and trucks disabled by bombs and IEDs.
Early in the morning of Jan. 21, Davis' truck was rocked by a remote-controlled IED and she was severely wounded, suffering cuts and multiple fractures to both her legs. Venable's was one of the first faces she saw in the aftermath, and her friend calmly worked to get her out of the mangled truck and stabilized for the longest journey of her young life.
"Jessie's my sister, my heart. I don't know if I would have made it out of there if it wasn't for her," Davis said.

Welcome home party
Venable and Davis haven't seen each other much since that morning.
Davis' path took her to a military hospital in Baghdad, then to Germany and then on to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington. Her right leg was amputated below the knee and she's had more surgeries than she cares to remember. "At least two a week for the month of January," she said.
Venable stayed in Al Ramadi. A soldier, she had a job to finish.
They stayed in contact by e-mail and even managed to have dinner together on Davis' birthday when Venable, 26, came home for a short leave in May. They were able to talk a little, but the visit was too brief.
They were reunited yesterday at a welcome-back party held in Venable's honor at the Big Shotz Tavern in Clemmons. Nearly 100 people packed into a party room to celebrate Venable's return home. The 54th left Iraq in October.
Venable's 8-year-old son, Riki Sherman, her mother, grandfather, uncles and friends were all on hand to greet her. So was Davis, who came from Camden, S.C., with her mom. Hugs were frequent and tight; whenever one moved, so did the other.
When Venable reached for a smoke, Davis was quick with the lighter. When Davis wanted to move, Venable jumped up to help her negotiate the tight spaces. And when somebody started singing karaoke, Davis rose from her wheelchair, stood on her prosthetic leg and joined her new sister.
"No way I was going to miss this," Davis said.

Convoy in Ramadi
The tattoo on Davis' right shoulder tells you a lot about her fighting spirit.
Tigger, the happy-go-lucky tiger from the Winnie the Pooh series, is holding an M-16 and balancing on his pogo-stick tail over the words "I bounced back" and "Ramadi, Iraq." The date Jan. 21, 2006, appears, too, though it's not possible that Davis will forget that day.
The insurgents were growing bolder in Ramadi and attacks were coming with greater frequency. Davis and Venable were assigned to the same convoy that night and they anticipated something might happen.
Davis was driving near the rear of the convoy about 2 a.m. when an IED exploded directly under her truck.
"All I saw was a flash," she said.
Venable, about a city block ahead of her friend, heard the blast and jumped out with her gear ready to roll.
Venable covered the ground quickly as troops drew into a defensive position in case of a follow-up assault. She knew that insurgents targeted recovery vehicles, and she knew that her friend had been hurt.
One of Davis' legs was bent up over the steering wheel and the other was broken in several places. Venable helped get Davis out of the cab and started to treat her wounds.
"She turned herself sideways and pushed herself out," Venable said. "I don't know how she managed to do that."
Venable climbed into the medical transport and continued to work during the drive to Baghdad.
"They hit every bump in the road," Davis said with a laugh. "I begged her to come with me (into the hospital) but she couldn't. The look in her eye is what got me through that night."

A heartfelt connection
At the party yesterday, Davis and Venable spent a fair amount of time laughing and enjoying good company in pleasant circumstances.
They knew it was Veterans Day and said that they appreciated the symbolism of two soldiers being reunited on a day meant for reflection.
Still, there was something more personal, a heartfelt connection to be toasted.
"I understand the historical value, but Veterans Day just happened to fall on the same day," Venable said. "I'm just glad to see her and see her doing so well. I'm not sure that I would have been able to handle it as well as she has."
Carolyn Davis, Crystal's mother, marveled at her daughter's resilience, too, and sat spellbound as she recalled the day she was hurt. "You'd think she broke a fingernail the way she's dealing with this," Carolyn Davis said.
Davis rolled her jeans' leg up to show visitors the scars on her left leg and matter-of-factly discussed her plans to stay in the Army. She is going to Fort Gordon, Ga., on Monday and Venable's next assignment will take her to Fort Benning after a short return to Germany, so they will be physically close.
While they both plan to make a career out of the Army, Iraq changed both women and each has her own perspective on the experience. A quote inscribed on Venable's forearm - "Only the dead have seen the end of war" - has taken on a new meaning.
"I don't know what Plato meant by it, whether it was physical, emotional or psychological," Venable said. "It's just different now."
Yesterday, Veterans Day, the deeper meaning didn't matter so much. "I'm just happy I'm here with my sister," Venable said.