Sarah Rykowski - wounded in battle, now standing strong

Sarah Rykowski was a classmate of mine at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN. She graduated a year before us, and took the world by storm. She went to law school, then by many challenging processes, became a JAG lawyer, and was stationed in Alaska when I saw her in October, 2006. Then sometime after June 17, 2007, I was blindsided by the news in a sad way, but the news was no less than jarring.

In the picture, Sarah is holding shrapnel that was lodged in her face from a roadside explosion while in Iraq.

What's amazing is the work Sarah has been committed to in Iraq. She helps Iraqis who have filed claims against the U.S. military. We hear these stories... she's the one who makes it happen, and she hasn't given up.

With the experiences gained in the last month, Rykowski has a renewed sense of why she decided to become a Soldier.

“Experience has shown me the good and bad side of war. The good side is you have friends and buddies to your left and right who are willing to give their life for you,” she said. “The bad is that you might actually loose one of those friends.”