My name is Amanda Dove, and I am a former female combat medic who served in the United States Army and on the front lines during combat operations in Iraq. I have been passionate about health and well-being from a young age. My grandfather, Thomas L. Tyson, also served as a military policeman at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Despite being run over by a German tank, I lost my grandfather at the young age of 11 due to preventable diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. My father, a Vietnam war veteran, was absent from life, and when I lost my grandfather, I did not want anyone else to ever have to experience the pain of the loss of loved ones. This led me to begin reading medical encyclopedias.
I worked tirelessly to be admitted to an academic magnet program for high school with a desire to become a doctor by getting into a prestigious school. As a junior sitting in art class, I still remember the day we sat as a class to watch the terrorist attacks of 09/11 in 2001. Coming from a long line of men who served on the front lines in every war up to this point in America's history, I knew two things: 1) We as a nation were going to war. 2) I needed to enlist as a combat medic to begin saving lives on the battlefield right away.
After returning home from the war, I sustained injuries both physical and invisible. The one thing that saved my life was what I could control, getting myself back into shape, eating well, and participating in the things I have always loved. In December I received my first degree in general studies, and I am committed to not merely surviving the war but thriving, while also showing other veterans that it's possible! You see – my victory is not for me. It is for my brothers and sisters in arms. We each have come home with our own stories, and many of us have lost very valuable things. The one thing that the enemy or war cannot take from us is the will to live, and that will is bred from hope. Hope does not ask how. It simply needs to be reminded of why.
As my boots landed on ground in Iraq as the female senior medic in charge of mostly men, I did not stop to look around, to gauge what others thought of the situation, nor did I hide in a bunker. I am the one who ran into bombs and blasts, because I believed that every one of my men deserved to make it back home. Today, I carry the torch not only for other veterans but for my sons, my family lineage. My oldest son wants to attend the same university that I will be eventually earning my master’s degree from, as he then steps on to become a Navy Seal. Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your country. For me, I have been given the privilege and honor to walk alongside some of the greats, and as I strive towards excellence, I set an example for my sons to follow.
I have grown to understand that disease prevention is a far better process than disease management. My life's goal is to complete academic studies that will allow me to become a licensed and registered dietitian and nutritionist. This requires me to have current science courses within the last five years, which I am retaking during the Spring and Summer semesters of 2024. In August of 2024, I am committed to beginning the Dietetic undergraduate program at K-State University. My application has already been submitted. In February 2025, I will qualify to apply to the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, I will enter the Master of Science in Dietetics with the required 1,000 hours of clinical supervised internship. In passing the board exam, my strongest desire is to empower clients to change their lives through active participation in making healthier food and daily movement choices.
As a combat medic, I had the privilege of saving more than 200 traumatically injured soldiers during combat operations as the senior medic. While this was a noble accomplishment, may I strive forward in excellence by empowering thousands to learn to save their own lives through whole foods that heal the body! In doing so, the American healthcare system will no longer be reactive and flooded with sickness but rather optimal health and wellness become daily goals we pursue in society. I am convinced that our society has been grappling with treatable, reversible, and preventable diseases. As I sat through a recent Pathophysiology course, the outlook among students was grim. Common responses to discussion questions went something like this – prescribe pills, hospitalize, and support the family members upon the death of a patient. Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot lose hope. What does hope mean? It means I have walked through the darkness and made it to the other side. Yet, what is a man if he/she does not return for the others?
An old dream began stirring within my soul. This time the dream transformed - "Though many things have once broken my heart, this only fixed my vision more clearly." I know many veterans, my brothers and sisters in arms, who struggle with such conditions as mental health, diabetes, heart disease, poor stress management, etc. I am committed to my Army values and warrior ethos to this day. My warrior ethos are - 1. I will always place the mission first. 2. I will never accept defeat. 3. I will never quit. and 4. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I have a moral duty and obligation to continue my education for the betterment of others, especially military personnel, veterans, and their family members in need of nutritional training. Take Charge!