U.S. Army Reserve Specialist Rachel Hugo, 24, of Madison, Wisconsin is coming home from Iraq 6 weeks earlier than the rest of her unit, as she was killed in combat on Oct. 5 in Bayji, Iraq.
Spc. Hugo’s father, Kermit Hugo said his daughter was aware of the dangers in her mission, but he said she told him:
"This is what I chose to do and being a medic is what I live to do."
He said, "She wanted to be out there with them. If somebody got hurt and they didn't have a medic, she was beside herself."
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Rachael L. Hugo, 24, of Madison, Wis., died Oct. 5 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked her unit using an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. She was assigned to the 303rd Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve, Jackson, Mich.
You can see pictures of this beautiful young woman in and out of uniform here and here.
Her family, including her father, mother Ruth and brother Scott spoke at a news conference this morning praising their daughter and sister as a hero who had saved the life of a sergeant during a firefight earlier this year. Her father said Spc. Hugo came under fire in an incident in February similar to the one that killed her, we learn from madison.com:
Hugo said his daughter, who was scheduled to return to the U.S. next month, was "extremely dedicated."
"She loved serving her country and the people she served with. She knew death, destruction and despair but she knew a lot of good things, too," he said.
According to WAOW, her friend, Juanita Davis said that she didn’t like being in Iraq, but that she knew she was there to serve her country. And her great uncle, Robert Hugo, told the same reporter that she kept volunteering to go out with the troops when she could have stayed back on base. "That’s the kind of person she was," he said.
Juanita Davis said that Spc. Hugo would do anything for anybody. She says the soldier's heart was always in everything that she did.
Spc. Hugo had been working toward a bachelor's degree in nursing at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin before she was deployed to Iraq as a combat medic a little more than a year ago. She had planned to return to Viterbo after her deployment was finished.
Friends and family were describing 24-year-old Rachael Hugo Saturday as a dedicated soldier and caregiver who hoped to one day become a nurse." She loved taking care of the different wounded," Davis said.
As a part-time certified home health aide for the health department, Hugo would visit homebound patients to help with daily health needs, said Gwen Loveless, another of Hugo 's co-workers.
"She was excellent with everybody," Loveless said. "She worked so hard. I wish I had her drive."
We learn from the same Madison.com article that "Hugo also was employed by Meriter Hospital in Madison as a nursing assistant in the hospital's mobile unit, according to Sue Simo, one of her supervisors there. Simo said Hugo would work at Meriter during breaks from school."
"She was a lovely young woman, mature beyond her age," Simo said. Meriter staff stayed in contact with Hugo during her deployment via cards, letters and e-mail, she said, even going so far as to send her Christmas gifts.
"She was physically gone but she was not mentally gone from us," she said.
To Rachel Hugo’s family, friends, co-workers, community and unit - May she never be gone from your hearts. May her caring spirit guide you as you traverse life’s journey. Spc. Rachael Hugo – we salute you.
The video is a tribute to the brave medics and corpsmen who have given their lives in service to their country (thank you llbear). Please take a moment to honor the memory of Army Reserve Specialist Rachael Hugo, as well as too many other service men and women who have passed through this world much too quickly.
Regarding Iraq, the Department of Defense has confirmed 3,811 deaths and the announcement of 5 more death is expected pending notification of the next of kin, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 449 American troops have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
they will always be young
they will always be beautiful
they will be in our hearts
they have become part of our souls
we will carry them with us always
and meet in the fullness of time.
IGTNT stands for "I Got the News Today." The phrase most likely refers to the Beatles song, and it is meant to symbolize that terrible knock on the door that any number of families got today, bringing with it the news that a loved one has died. IGTNT is a diary series intended to honor, respect and remind.
Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and is maintained by blue jersey mom, Chacounne, joyful, labwitchy, moneysmith, Monkeybiz, noweasels, roses, Sandy on Signal, sheddhead, silvercedes, sistwo, twilight falling, Wee Mama, MsWings and me, greenies.
Fallen soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and National Guard whose names have been released by the Department of Defense are typically diaried two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each fallen service member more fully, and still in a timely manner.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.
