There are more than 100,000 U.S. military personnel currently stationed in Iraq, including several UAMS employees. Even though they are far away from home, they remain very close to the hearts of their patients and fellow employees. Alandis Newman, a clinical care technician at the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, was awarded a Purple Heart medal in August for wounds he received following the explosion of a roadside bomb that went off near his armored vehicle. Newman, who has worked at the ACRC for six years and was called to active duty a year ago, received the decoration from U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder at the Corps Support Hospital in Baghdad.

Newman has received numerous care packages from ACRC employees, who created a special red, white and blue bulletin board adorned with good-luck messages from patients and staff. Many patients, some of whom have communicated with Newman via e-mail since his deployment to Iraq, have contributed items to the care packages.

A sergeant with the Army National Guard’s 39th Brigade Combat Team, Newman is expected to return to the U.S. in April. Meanwhile, Janelle Hickman, an office manager at the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging, received a heartwarming send-off by friends and fellow staff members July 23 shortly before she left Arkansas to join her Army Reserve unit in Baghdad. A staff sergeant with the 46th Military History Detachment, Hickman is expected to spend 18 months documenting the history of the U.S. involvement in Iraq with photography and written reports. Hickman has worked at the Center on Aging since 1997, and at UAMS since 1985.

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