Hello, Nurse!

Hello, Nurse!
Describing someone is a difficult venture to undertake. Too simple – George Harrison played the guitar – and you condense the ocean of someone's life into a drop of water on the counter. Too complex – there was a man who was an ambulance driver in Italy and wrote standing up and his favorite cocktail was a Mojito – and you can't see Hemingway for the trees. The goal is to strike a balance, to show where a person has been, where they are, where they hope to be, and to leave the reader with the feeling that they could get on quite well with the person you've described.
First Lieutenant Maria-Cristina Puswald is a registered nurse in the Army. Why? In her own words,

“I honestly didn't have any other reason to study nursing other than because I would always have a good chance to find a job regardless of what occurs in the economy. I had originally wanted to study music education, but there aren't many available jobs in that career field, and I can always give piano lessons on the side if I want.” Puswald had started thinking about the military at a career fair during sophomore year. Free health care, unlimited sick days, and 30 days paid vacation sounded good to her. Although she did look into the Air Force, it was the size of the Army and the number of hospitals under their care that swayed her decision.
What kind of person is 1st Lt. Puswald? For Alexandra Loginov, a friend since childhood, a birthday describes her best.

“I remember that a couple years ago Cristina planned a surprise birthday party for her mom from Texas, and then flew in to New York for a few days to be there. This is very typical of Cristina, as she's very family-oriented and always thinking of others.” Puswald's dedication to her family is long-lived and obvious to those lucky enough to know her. A family friend, Elizabeth Toher, recollects Puswald's familial devotion.

“As a young girl Cristina's enthusiasm and giggly demeanor was very engaging. You couldn't help but to be delighted in her company. When her younger brother William was born she easily stepped into the role of a little mama. As she became older the love that she had for her siblings animated her actions towards them. She really was a big sister in every sense of the word, always looking out for them, always treating them to little surprises, always encouraging them”

Puswald is a woman of many interests. Her father is a motorcyclist, and Cristina started riding on his bike when she was very little. Said Toher,

“It was unusual to see such a tiny girl riding on a motorcycle without fear and with obvious enjoyment and enthusiasm. You don't normally think about girls on motorcycles but that's a good example of the marriage of both her tough side and what would surprise you about her. She's willing to try something new.”

She has owned a number of motorcycles and enjoys going for a ride to relax. Puswald is also musically inclined, and the piano is an important element in her continued friendship with Loginov.

“I met Cristina when we were two years old and on walks in strollers with our moms. This must have been around 1988. I believe I pointed to Cristina's stroller and said baby, but maybe she was the one who did that. Unfortunately, I don't remember the details! I think we've stayed friends all this time because we made an effort to do so, and because we spent so much time together in our childhood. We shared many experiences, including homeschooling, playing the piano which included taking lessons from the same teacher and playing duets together, playing softball, and reading.”

So what is 1st. Lt. Puswald doing now? She's currently involved in medical-surgical nursing, which is a catch-all for inpatient care of post-operative patients and medical, non-surgical, patients.

“Basically, we get a little bit of everything, from flu or pneumonia patients to knee or shoulder arthroscopies to emergent appendectomies. I absolutely love it because it's so random! I prefer it to ICU nursing or ER nursing or OR nursing because of the patient interaction I get. It keeps me on my toes, figuratively and literally.”

As an officer Puswald has a number of responsibilities. For her, leadership is enjoyable because she can take care of her soldiers, stand up for them, support them, and be there for them when they need her.

“It fills me with a sense of accomplishment and really boosts my ego when I feel I've been a positive role model or mentor for them. I guess I'm handling my responsibilities well, because I get great Officer Evaluation Reports.”
1st. Lt. Puswald is being deployed soon. For her friends and family this is cause for concern, and for reflection.

“I was surprised when I heard that Cristina was going into the army, as I didn't even know that she was considering it previously. I feel much better about her being any army nurse than a combat soldier, though, I must say. At the same time, I do still do worry about her.” For Toher, the sentiment is similar.

“Although it is scary knowing that she's being deployed to Afghanistan I wasn't surprised when I heard that because Cristina's nature is one of nurture, compassion, and empathy. I think that her faith which is strong and active in her life as well as her love and respect for family relationships and friendships, will help her to both represent the United States in a positive and inspirational way as well as the people that will come under her care will know what it's like to be taken care of by someone who truly will give everything she has to make sure that they're taken care of to the best of her ability and the ability of the people she works with.”

And what does Cristina have to say about it?

“I am both anxious and excited! I want to have this experience, even though I don't really know what to expect. I am eager to find out!”

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

For many of us, our first job is one related to fast food. The phrase “would you like fries with that?” perpetually on our lips as we deal with belligerent customers demanding not too much ice in their soda. But for a select few near Chattanooga, their job is more suited to the early 1900s. Located just a few hours north of Atlanta, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a place in the modern world, but not of it. Steam locomotives chuff and pant and vintage diesels grumble and hoot as they traverse three miles of track in Tennessee, a little lost world keeping the past alive.

Begun in 1959 and formally chartered in 1961, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum started small and continued to expand over the years. In 1969 museum volunteers repaired and reconstructed donated track. The 1980s brought the addition of a turntable and the Grand Junction Depot. Now home to a number of locomotives and coaches, a repair shop, the depot, and more, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a slice of 1930s America just waiting to be explored.

For Travis Gordon, 17, a resident of Tunnel Hill, GA, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is his place of employment. He's been interested in trains since the age of 2, crediting his grandfather's time with the N.C. & St. L. Railroad as a major force. Gordon originally wanted to be in engine service and work with the steam locomotive TVRM runs, but after passing his observation hours and brakeman training he was instead placed as a conductor. He plans to start on engineer training once he turns 18. As a conductor in training Gordon's duties include assisting the conductor with train operations, operating the turntable, punching tickets, giving tours, and detailing the history of the railroad and the area during the train ride. His time working with the TVRM has been full of sights and sounds that the majority of Americans no longer get to participate in.

“One that tends to stand out, was the time when I was a regular worker on the dining car to Chickamauga. Even though it is not amusing so to speak, I had a peaked [sic] interest in the old Santa Fe Railroad CF-7 Locomotives that they had home built from the old passenger engines that used to pull the Super Chief since seeing one operate in New Haven, Kentucky at their railroad museum. We were in Chickamauga, GA., and both of the runaround tracks were full of freight cars. Engine #2594, an EMD GP30, which pulled us down there, moved to an empty stub siding. Conductor Jeff Eblen let me up in the cab of Chatooga and Chickamauga Railway CF-7 #103 while the C&C Pilot, Tom Foden, used it and GP11 #1804 to move our 3 car train so that the TVRM engine could get on the other end for the return trip, and I have always remembered that day.”

The Museum's steam locomotives and rolling stock have been used in a number of movies and television shows over the years including “October Sky”, “Leatherheads”, and “Water for Elephants” as well as “FDR” and “The Last Days of Frank Jesse James.” The railroad also made an appearance on “Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy” on the History Channel. One of the most picturesque portions of the line, and the reason for its abandonment by Southern Railway, is Whiteside Tunnel, a horseshoe tunnel piercing Missionary Ridge, under construction from 1856 to 1858.

While beautiful to the eye and of significant historical interest, the one track tunnel created a significant bottleneck for commercial traffic on the line as the decades rolled by. A new line was constructed and the old tracks abandoned, eventually being donated to the TVRM in 1969.

Kyle Shannon, 18, from Daisy Hill, TN, has always been around the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Shannon spends his time working with the steam locomotive at TVRM. His favorite experience?
“Favorite experience was probably my first time in the steam locomotive going to Georgia, I was the coal cutter, but never actually fired, but to see how hot and much they fired was very neat. To hear the locomotive working up the grade was also amazing. There's not much that can beat hearing the locomotive work up the grade and see what it takes to keep it working at that pace.”

Locomotive #610, a 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotive originally built for the United States Army, is currently the only operational steam locomotive at TVRM while #630 undergoes restoration. The locomotive pulls the Missionary Ridge Local three times daily during the season, traveling from the Grand Depot Junction to the turntable three miles away at the repair shop and back again. A GP7 diesel electric locomotive built in 1951 for the United States Army shares the load, especially in colder weather.

For Alex Morrow, 18, originally from Athens, TN but now a resident in Chattanooga, the job is rewarding. He's in training to be fireman on the steam locomotive, and currently works in the repair shop.
“There's a lot of stories to choose from so it's hard to pick just one but one of my favorite things is when people come up to the locomotive for a cab tour and they say I have an awesome job and that I'm lucky to get to do this kind of stuff. It's a good feeling when people tell you that.”

The TVRM repair shop is currently finishing the restoration of steam locomotive #630, and has the capacity to repair and maintain all locomotives and rolling stock used by the railroad as well as provide services to other railroads. Although a museum railroad the TVRM does handle freight operations for Allied Metals, and performs switching operations for the new Volkswagen plant.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. Do yourself a favor and visit. Take a short ride on the Missionary Ridge Local, or a six hour trip on the Chickamauga Turn. And if you see Gordon, Shannon, or Morrow, try not to be too jealous. After all, somebody still has to flip the burgers.