Peter DeYoung talks about his milblog Me Over There.

Question: What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?

1) I was in Officer Indoctrination School, starting my 2nd go around in the military, when 9-11 occurred. I was just north of New York, in Rhode Island, the last group to join the military before the war on terrorism started.

2) After 6 months in the desert, I am still pasty white. Except for my hands and the back of my neck.

3) I am blessed with the perfect wife (9 years of putting up with me!), 2 children and a 3rd on the way (due within a week of my arrival home!). And the world’s best Basset Hound ever.

Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?

I started a blog shortly after my now 2 year old son was born as a way to get pictures to all of our family. Being in the military, it is not always easy to keep our families up to date with what we are doing in another state/country. It is definitely easier than trying to email photos to each and every person all the time. I was able to give the web address and they could look at our activities whenever they desired.

I started my current blog (rniniraq.blogspot.com ) right before coming over to Iraq, I wanted to let my families and friends see what I was seeing, and I found that other people were interested in this also.

Question: What is your military experience?

I joined the Navy as a Corpsman out of High school in ‘92 and served for 4 years, with 2 of those years as a platoon corpsman with the Marines. As with my original intention prior to joining, I got out and used the GI Bill to pay for nursing school and worked as a paramedic on the side. After graduating, I signed back up, and have been doing Emergency Room nursing, which is my true passion in health care.

Question: What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?

I’ll be honest and admit that I haven’t been looking at too many milblogs, but I do like to check in to Desertflier and Badger 6 when I can.

Question: What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a successful blog?

To call what I have a successful blog might be an overstatement, but what I do have is directly related to the dramatic, and many times tragic, situations that I have been blessed to be a part of out here. Along with being able to have a place to put pictures and summaries of my experiences out here, the blog has given me a forum to let people know what the Navy Enroute Care Nurses are doing out here. Even with the training we received prior to getting out here, it wasn’t until that 1st flight with a critical patient, flying over the Iraqi countryside to another medical facility did I truly know what ERC nurses did here. Nobody wants to see these brave soldiers, marines, and sailors get hurt out here, but I’m honored to be part of the process to help them stabilize and get the emergency treatment they need. I started out as a Corpsman with the Marines flying around in helicopters, than as a paramedic I transported critical patients, now I’m a nurse, transporting critical Marines in a helicopter.

Question: Do you have anything else you would like us to mention about you, your blog, or your readers?

I would like to thank all the people who after seeing my blog, contacted me and sent cards/packages. This blog has put me in contact with prospective nurses thinking of joining the military, hoping that they too might be able to get out here and help our injured soldiers/marines.

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