Doctor Meredith
Just a moment ago, I was reading my post about Halo 2, when it dawned on me that I mentioned Doctor Meredith in passing.
Who was she?
Well, she was perhaps one of the coolest flight surgeons I've ever worked with, since the likes of Doc Olivito or Doctor Ricks. I met her originally at Misawa in 2002, and we naturally hit it off. Turns out that we were born one day apart, one year apart, if that makes any sense.
Doc Meredith had disdain for the Air Force no different than I. She saw the bullshit for what it was, and saw through the bullshit, too. At the end of the day, all she wanted to do was practice medicine without being hassled or treated like she was someone inferior.
When I recieved orders to Kunsan in 2004, I was practically dreading the experience once again, however once I found out that Doc had orders there as well, somehow it made sense. I had someone whom I could trust, who was going to help me weather the storm this time. Turns out her pilot boyfriend got orders there, and she decided to follow, which is how she ended up getting tagged for that shit hole assignment.
I arrived there about a month and a half before she did, and already I began to lay down the groundwork for her arrival. I told everyone in the Flight Surgeon Office how great she was as a doc, and how cool she was as well. I told them she was dedicated to the mission, and all that other important sounding bullshit that asshole military people get their rocks off to. I even told the senior management the same things too, since they would put her under the same microscopic treatment that everyone else was forced to endure upon arrival (and the entire time there as well).
It seemed to pay off, too. Turns out that the douchebag leadership at Misawa was phoning over to Korea to let them know what they thought about her, and to my surprise, they weren't listening. Instead, they were taking my word at face value, which in turned paved the way for her make her entry without interruption. Leadership at Misawa was looking to ruin her time at her new assignment, and I wasn't about to let that happen.
For the next year, Doc and I confided in each other. All the shit going on at work, all the shit going on in our personal lives, and how happy the both of us would be once we could escape Kunsan and the unnecessary difficulties it presented. She was the closest thing I had to a friend there, only because I knew her previously. I didn't trust to open up to anyone else, considering to toxic that place was. There was no way I would allow the very people who wouldn't support me to know the struggles I faced on a daily basis. They wouldn't understand, or worse, care.
As my time ended at Kunsan, I was getting ready to PCS and say farewell to that shit hole. It was May and June timeframe when I began to realize that I would realistically never see her again. One day, I pulled her aside, and thanked her in private for everything she had done for me as a friend and as a physician. I asked her if she would be okay in dealing with the assholes there, since I was about to leave, and she told me that she was going to make it. The original management who ran the place when we both arrived had pretty much left, or had one foot out the door, and they didn't care so much anymore about ruling that place with an iron fist. New management coming in was oblivious to existing problems, and by the time they were caught up to speed on the place, she too would be gone. She said that she would be going back to the States, and finishing up her contract with the Air Force, and then most likely go live in someplace like Colorado or the Carolinas, on a ranch she would own. Whether or not it involved getting married to her pilot boyfriend, I don't remember, but she was happy just to get on with her life. I told her that I was making my way to Germany, and that I hoped that our paths one day would cross again. I didn't realize that it would never be.
I don't know what happened to Doc Meredith. Turns out she has completely avoided social media and internet, since she has an ex-husband who is a total asshole stalker. This dude was a real work of art and did a lot of heinous shit, which I won't elaborate on, but he pissed off everyone who ever met him. I would really like to reconnect with her, but know it won't happen for obvious reasons. She was a good friend, a good doctor, and someone who truly helped me in my time of need.
A voice of reason in the Madness.
An angel on my shoulder.
The Cortana to Master Chief.
Who was she?
Well, she was perhaps one of the coolest flight surgeons I've ever worked with, since the likes of Doc Olivito or Doctor Ricks. I met her originally at Misawa in 2002, and we naturally hit it off. Turns out that we were born one day apart, one year apart, if that makes any sense.
Doc Meredith had disdain for the Air Force no different than I. She saw the bullshit for what it was, and saw through the bullshit, too. At the end of the day, all she wanted to do was practice medicine without being hassled or treated like she was someone inferior.
When I recieved orders to Kunsan in 2004, I was practically dreading the experience once again, however once I found out that Doc had orders there as well, somehow it made sense. I had someone whom I could trust, who was going to help me weather the storm this time. Turns out her pilot boyfriend got orders there, and she decided to follow, which is how she ended up getting tagged for that shit hole assignment.
I arrived there about a month and a half before she did, and already I began to lay down the groundwork for her arrival. I told everyone in the Flight Surgeon Office how great she was as a doc, and how cool she was as well. I told them she was dedicated to the mission, and all that other important sounding bullshit that asshole military people get their rocks off to. I even told the senior management the same things too, since they would put her under the same microscopic treatment that everyone else was forced to endure upon arrival (and the entire time there as well).
It seemed to pay off, too. Turns out that the douchebag leadership at Misawa was phoning over to Korea to let them know what they thought about her, and to my surprise, they weren't listening. Instead, they were taking my word at face value, which in turned paved the way for her make her entry without interruption. Leadership at Misawa was looking to ruin her time at her new assignment, and I wasn't about to let that happen.
For the next year, Doc and I confided in each other. All the shit going on at work, all the shit going on in our personal lives, and how happy the both of us would be once we could escape Kunsan and the unnecessary difficulties it presented. She was the closest thing I had to a friend there, only because I knew her previously. I didn't trust to open up to anyone else, considering to toxic that place was. There was no way I would allow the very people who wouldn't support me to know the struggles I faced on a daily basis. They wouldn't understand, or worse, care.
As my time ended at Kunsan, I was getting ready to PCS and say farewell to that shit hole. It was May and June timeframe when I began to realize that I would realistically never see her again. One day, I pulled her aside, and thanked her in private for everything she had done for me as a friend and as a physician. I asked her if she would be okay in dealing with the assholes there, since I was about to leave, and she told me that she was going to make it. The original management who ran the place when we both arrived had pretty much left, or had one foot out the door, and they didn't care so much anymore about ruling that place with an iron fist. New management coming in was oblivious to existing problems, and by the time they were caught up to speed on the place, she too would be gone. She said that she would be going back to the States, and finishing up her contract with the Air Force, and then most likely go live in someplace like Colorado or the Carolinas, on a ranch she would own. Whether or not it involved getting married to her pilot boyfriend, I don't remember, but she was happy just to get on with her life. I told her that I was making my way to Germany, and that I hoped that our paths one day would cross again. I didn't realize that it would never be.
I don't know what happened to Doc Meredith. Turns out she has completely avoided social media and internet, since she has an ex-husband who is a total asshole stalker. This dude was a real work of art and did a lot of heinous shit, which I won't elaborate on, but he pissed off everyone who ever met him. I would really like to reconnect with her, but know it won't happen for obvious reasons. She was a good friend, a good doctor, and someone who truly helped me in my time of need.
A voice of reason in the Madness.
An angel on my shoulder.
The Cortana to Master Chief.
posted by Machine at 10:16 AM
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