On Memorial Day, let's not forget women who served

Most of us know the reason for observing Memorial Day. Initially created in 1868 to honor the Civil War dead, the holiday evolved after World War I into a national day of mourning for all those who died serving the country.

Nearly every one of us will pause to reflect on that at some point this weekend. It could have been Friday, if you noticed veterans handing out paper flowers at local restaurants. It could come this morning in church. It might be Monday in the form of a silent "thank you" murmured before wolfing a hot dog.

Beyond that, Memorial Day means different things to different people.

The proud former Marine down the block who raises the Stars and Stripes on the flagpole in his front yard every morning might stop to think about his service buddies. A retail-store manager might see it as a long work day marked by big sales.

I'll probably phone my uncles, Army vets who fought in Vietnam.

Then there's Maj. Dawn Orta, a thoughtful physician assistant -- an advanced clinician licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician -- who has served 19½ years on active duty in the U.S. Army.

"I feel very privileged to be a soldier and to be in a position to take care of soldiers I served with in Iraq who've been wounded," Orta, 39, said. "It's funny. The Army wasn't what I set out to do, but I wouldn't do anything different."

Serving all

We found Orta through a public-relations pro in Washington who had circulated a press release carrying the headline "Physician Assistants Integral to Care for North Carolina Military Members and Their Families Trying to Cope with Trauma of War" -- another example of Memorial Day meaning something different to different people.

In this instance, Memorial Day served as a hook to promote the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Our PR pro cheerfully agreed to arrange an interview with a tie-in to Northwest North Carolina.

Thus we spoke with Orta, a native of Wisconsin who's stationed at Fort Knox, Ky. -- nearby in a global sense not exactly in proximity to Winston-Salem.

But a funny thing happened during that conversation. Orta was just too smart and too well-spoken to blow off for provincial reasons. Besides, everybody who's ever put on a set of fatigues -- whether they're from Wilkesboro or Samoa -- is serving us all.

It was moving to hear Orta passionately talk about the Army and her work with soldiers who have suffered terrible injuries. She also spoke freely about how hard it was to leave her three young children for long deployments to Iraq, the most recent a 15-month stint with the 4th Infantry from Fort Hood, Texas, that ended in February.

"Being deployed with the soldiers I take care of gives me the opportunity to have the same experiences they've had," Orta said. "It's easier for them to open up and talk about what they're feeling because I have the same understanding of what they've been through."

Deeper appreciation

The truth of the matter -- for me, at least -- is when Memorial Day rolls around, the tendency is to think about the men.

That's a disservice to soldiers such as Orta, who originally intended to become a nurse and work overseas as a civilian missionary.

"Then I started thinking about it and figured I could serve God and my country as well," she said.

She enlisted and learned to be a lab tech. From there, she was accepted into a program to train physician assistants, earned her commission as an officer and 20 years later is considering retirement as her three kids are getting older.

"My husband and I didn't talk specifically about deployment and what that meant," she said. "We just said that mommy would be gone for awhile. Then one day while I was gone, my son said ‘Mommy's in Iraq.' I think we underestimate what kids can understand."

As a physician assistant and an Army officer, Orta has come to understand plenty about herself and her soldiers. She's also gotten a deep appreciation for the meaning of Memorial Day.

"The only way to understand completely is to walk in similar shoes," Orta said.

■ Scott Sexton can be reached at 727-7481 or at ssexton@wsjournal.com.