Junior Hannah Coll was leaving a concert with her friends when she first heard the news: her father, Dr. Colonel Edward Coll, was being deployed to Iraq and it seemed her world had turned upside down.

“I got the call from my mom,” says Coll, [and after] she told me, I fell down into the streets bawling…It was kind of traumatic.” Dr. Coll, who left for Iraq April 19 for six months, is serving his duty as a medical doctor in a large Compact Support Hospital, where he helps injured soldiers and civilians. Despite her initial reaction, once Coll learned more about what her father’s tasks were, she felt more at ease about the circumstances.

Says Dr. Coll, “My job, as a doctor, is to support the troops wherever they are…I knew there were a lot of other people who had gotten jobs like this, so I wanted to be able to do my part as well.”

Although scared about her father’s fate, Coll remains proud. Says Coll, “He accepted the task...instead of trying to get out of it. He took responsibility, and did what he had to do.”

Reading newspaper articles and watching television clips on the war may be overwhelming, especially when you know someone you love is helping to fight the war. However, Coll believes that nothing could come between the close bond she and her father share. “I know war changes certain people, so that’s a thought on my mind,” says Coll. “[However] I think...if our relationship does change, it will be for the better… [This] will be another way for me to connect with him.”

Luckily, Coll and her father will have a way of contacting through email and writing letters during his absence, but, nonetheless, this will be a difficult transition. Adds Coll, “It will be strange on the weekends and on holidays when you normally spend the most time with your family.”

“They’re troopers. They’ll be okay,” adds Dr. Coll, speaking of his family. “A lot of people are gone for longer periods of time-- for 15 months, sometimes more.”

What’s going to keep Coll strong through all this? “I just have to keep thinking: six months,” says Coll. “[I’ll] talk to my sister or my brother about it and try and keep myself distracted with school and work.”

Through all of this, Coll has gained a new perspective on life and found bravery within.“You can’t always look at the negative side of a situation because you’re not going to get through each day,” adds Coll. “I have to look forward to the future knowing that what’s going to happen is what’s going to happen.”