Technology Connects Tulsa Students With Oklahoma Nurse In Afghanistan

Dan Bewley & Terry Hood, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Students at Clinton Middle School in Tulsa celebrated Veterans Day with a special guest who was nearly 8,000 miles away.

Commander Cathy Lovelace is serving in Afghanistan, but Thursday she had an audience of Tulsa school kids.

Teachers at Clinton Middle School were looking for a way to honor veterans. They decided what better way than to chat on Skype with an Oklahoma woman serving on the front lines.

"Just, like, weird, because she's right there," said Diamond Wilson, an 8th grade student.

Commander Cathy Lovelace is from Broken Arrow, but she's been in Kandahar, Afghanistan since August.

"We ride a Humvee or walk wherever we need to be," she told the students.

Thursday she connected on Skype with 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Clinton Middle School. She took questions, explained what life is like in a war zone, and described her role as a nurse working on the front lines.

"I thought it was pretty cool that she's saving people's lives whenever they've been shot," said Hunter Jacobs, a 6th grade student.

"She just goes around, she said that she carries a gun and hopefully she doesn't use it and stuff like that," Wilson said.

Teachers said the experience is important for the students. It gives them a chance to meet a member of the military and learn first hand what it means to serve your country.

"Some of our students they don't get to travel and have this kind of opportunity, so I hope that they got just a real time view of what is going on in our world today," Annette Thompson said.

The students may have seemed a bit restless at times but they say they enjoyed it and appreciated the chance to say thank you.

"Because they helped us, they defended our country for us and I wanted to thank them," said Edgar Flores, a 7th grade student.

The students were so moved by Commander Lovelace that they plan to adopt her medical group in Afghanistan and send them care packages.

Commander Lovelace is scheduled to come home next March.