Frog medical interpreter in Afghanistan

Haroon Said Wardak '13 graduated from TCU's Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences less than a year ago, but he's showing his Horned Frog pride with passion on the other side of the globe.

Wardak, who describes himself as an Afghan-American "with purple blood in my veins," is a medical interpreter/translator for U.S. military forces in Afghanistan. He also works in a NATO hospital there. 

When he was deployed, he took along several TCU t-shirts. But he wanted something to show off his Horned Frog ties every day. So he bought a TCU ID tag holder from Amazon.  

In the photo above, Wardak is proudly donning the TCU ID tag during formal Change of Command Ceremony at Multinational Medical Unit-NATO Hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Read more TCU People stories at The TCU Magazine. 

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High honor for Horned Frog soldier

Lt. Col. Diana Loucks '96 of the 4th Infantry Division in Kandahar, Afghanistan, has been chief of space and special programs for Regional Command (South) since June 2013.

But before long, she'll be a pioneer at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. 

Loucks has been asked to join the faculty at West Point in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. She would be the first female professor in the history of that department. 

Following her tour in Afghanistan, Loucks must earn a doctorate before she starts her new job. She plans to pursue Ph.D. work in aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she earned a master's degree in 2008. 

Then she will be installed as an academy professor in 2017 and is scheduled to teach there for the duration of her Army career.   

Previously, Loucks taught physics at West Point in 2008 and hopes to mentor students and help them develop their careers from the outset.

“It’s not just teaching them, it’s shaping their future as Army leaders,” she said through the U.S. Army public relations office. “You have an opportunity to shape how they think and feel about their role as leaders in the Army. To be able to influence that is really what I’d like to do.”  

Read more on Loucks:
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/122361/opportunity-lifetime-awaits-army-officer-upon-return-hom#.UzCDwF7AkpR

Read more TCU People stories at The TCU Magazine. 

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Frog spirit in the Holy Land

Kate Jackson Potter '99 is the director of CrossWalk Houston at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston. She and TCU friends Melissa Lewis Simmons '01 and Jean Sauerberg Ware '60 took a trip to the Holy Land earlier this month with a group of 40 from their church. They brought their Horned Frog spirit with them, snapping photos in Jerusalem (above) and the Sea of Galilee (below) with a purple TCU flag.


Read more TCU People stories at The TCU Magazine. 

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I just realized I never replied to your mesage (so sorry).  Is it too late to submit the information?  I am assuming the Summer Magazine is pretty close to finishing up:)  I went ahead and answered the questions below.  Thanks again for all you do to keep us alumni in "the know"!  -Kate

We can add a little to this account if you'd like. What made Jean think to bring a TCU flag?

Jean is one of the biggest TCU fans out there.  I think everyday she had at least something purple on!  When she mentioned carrying a TCU Melissa and I thought was a great idea.  Nothing like Horned Frog Pride to united Christians! Of course, Jean's husband knew we would be a great pair because my Mac has a purple cover and I used a purple bag to carry all my things on the trip:)  There is just something about the awesome color purple!!!!

What areas did you see? 

We went to almost all parts of Israel,  We spent about half our time on the Sea of Galilee and then the rest of our time in Jerusalem.  We had side trips to Ceasarea by the Sea, Bethlehem, Qumran (where Dead Sea Scrolls were found), Bet Shean, Massada.  But we saw it all... The mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus fed thousands, The Jordan River, Garden of Gethsemane, The Upper Room, Via Dolorosa (stations of the cross), Temple Mount...It was a jam packed 10 days!!!

What did you get from the trip? 

The bible came to life.  It was so real, it was so beautiful, it was life changing.  Sometimes words can't explain what an experience has done to ones life.  This is one of those experiences!