My Life As Kimberly Dozier: War Correspondent
By Chris Monahan War correspondent Kimberly Dozier of CBS News was a victim of a car bombing in Baghdad on Memorial Day in 2006. The blast killed her camera crew, a U.S. army captain and an Iraqi translator. Dozier was seriously wounded and was nearly declared dead but recovered after multiple surgeries and months of physiotherapy. On Monday, October 6, at 7:30 in the SAC auditorium, she came to talk to the students and faculty of Stony Brook. After attending Dozier’s talk, there is one thing that I found apparent: her strength to survive and her desire to continue reporting after this traumatic experience is remarkable. She stated repeatedly, without hesitation, that she is looking to head back overseas to cover the war the next chance she gets. The chance of something like this ever happening again should be enough to prevent a person from going back - not Kimberly Dozier. Her passion for reporting and her duty as a journalist gives her the strength necessary to want to return. She has written a book called "Breathing the Fire: Fighting to Report - and Survive - the War in Iraq," which tells of her physical and emotional recovery from the explosion. Dozier's comeback took many months, during which she she was bedridden for a long stretch of time. So much free time to think can be dangerous to the mind of someone recovering from such a life-altering event. Many people suffer severe shellshock and almost never fully recover. It was no doubt a difficult time for Dozier and she didn’t hold back in saying that she cried - a lot. The deaths of her crew, the army captain and the translator have been a huge burden on Dozier’s shoulders. At certain times, she believed that if she hadn’t led them to that story, they would still be here today. It’s only natural for someone to struggle through this thought process. However, through the counseling of friends and family, she was able to put those thoughts past her. Her crew, the captain and the translator all knew the risks. They died serving their country in more ways than one. She knew that blaming herself for their deaths would dishonor their memory. They would always be remembered for the sacrifices they made in the professions they chose. When people find out that Dozier wants to cover the war again, they are no doubt surprised. But Dozier is someone who knows where her heart is. She has a home in Israel and a big part of her life is over there. Working overseas in broadcast is something she always wanted to do, and she is not about to abandon what she has trained all her life for. |
