8 The Post Sunday, November 2, 2003 DeRojas (continued from page 1) fear, day in and day out and still be able to function and more than that, be able to do their jobs. “You're willing to basically face death and injury head on. You just suppress it and be- cause of your training, your dis- cipline, you go on.” The pressure of being in con- stant danger did begin to weigh on some of the soldiers, DeRo- jas admitted. During attacks, he said they were trained to hit the floor and lie flat. However, not everyone had that first instinct. Some soldiers would run and suffer serious injuries. DeRojas said religion and faith played an important role in his time there. “I don’t believe there’s an atheist in a war zone. You be- come very humble to God, your religion. “When you're being shot at, mortared and ambushed, the only thing you do is pray to God your not the next one to get hit.” That kind of frontline medi- cine often required making tough decisions. If Iraqis were injured during combat, his team would provide them med- ical care. However, faced with scarce supplies, sometimes in- jured Iraqis could not be saved. “Who are you going to save, an enemy who was just trying to kill you, or an American sol- dier?” he asked. “It’s obvious what you're go- - ing to do.” Both times he was deployed this year, DeRojas said he chose to be stationed on the front lines, opting out of other safer assignments. And he would choose the same assignment again. ; “The kind of satisfaction I got from taking care of the sol- diers, there’s no price on it,” he said. “I was able to save some lives doing what I did.” DeRojas took numerous pho- tos as historical documentation of his time in Iraq. As he showed a photo of a wounded soldier who didn’t survive, he said sternly, “This is war.” He said when the F.S.T team opened the injured soldier’s wallet, they found photos of his wife and three children. He said it’s important to him that peo- ple here understand when the news reports injuries and deaths, that there is a story be- hind every one of them. DeRojas will share his photos and experiences with the public at upcoming talks. They are planned for Crestwood High School November 11, Bishop O'Reilly November 12 and Sax- ton Pavilion in Edwardsville November 13 from 7-9 p.m. DeRojas has been a surgeon with Surgical Specialists of Wyoming Valley in Plains since 1987. He lives in Jackson Town- ship. Ww |. At top, Colonel Juan DeRojas operated on a soldier suffer- Lake speed (continued from page 1) to put the speed limit on the lake.” Before the protective associa- tion applies for a new regula- tion with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Squitieri is gathering letters of support that he believes will make the application stronger. To date, the proposal has gained the support of the Har- veys Lake Women’s Club and the Harveys Lake Crime Watch group. According to Squitieri, Har- veys Lake is one of the few lakes in the state with almost no regulations. From speaking to people, he has gathered that many residents like it that way. The problem is that water- craft are getting faster all the time, said Squitieri. “The speed limit is just to prevent real high speed water- craft from operating at peak times when there’s families on the lake,” he said. “We'd like to prevent an accident.” The proposed regulation would limit speeds to 45 mph during the day, on weekends and holidays between Memori- al Day and Labor Day. Dan Tredinnick, spokesper- son for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, ‘said putting a numeric speed limit on a lake in the commonwealth is “fairly rare.” “It’s pretty unusual for us to have speed limits in the con- ventional sense,” he said. ® “We'd like to prevent an accident.” Richard Squitieri Harveys Lake Protective Association One of the reasons for that is that Fish and Boat Commission officers don’t have radar guns, he said. Instead, more common ways to control speed are minimum motor size and height swell speed regulations. There are a handful of nu- meric speed regulations in th state, one of which, Tredinnick said, is at Lake Wallenpaupack in Pike and Wyoming counties. There they have almost| the identical regulation to the one the protective association is try- ing to create for Harveys Lakegs also with a 45 mph limit. After the application for the special regulation is sent to Harrisburg, a process will begin that will involve watercraft traf- fic studies and public comment - sessions, said Tredinnick. “It's not going to happen overnight,” he added. Tredinnick said the penalty for breaking a lake speed limit is. similar to those assigned for breaking auto limits, a $50 fine plus court costs, for most. De- pending on how fast above the limit, it could be more. Free legal services for reservists As National Guard and Reserve units are called up to serve the Armed Forces of the United States, the Military Affairs Commit- tee of the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Association/Luzerne County Bar is available to provide legal services where needed. The pro bono service inclues the preparation of wills for sol- diers, sailors and airmen. The service is also available to assist | these individuals and their families with problems related to their recall to active duty, and legal affairs which may require their at- tention during their physical absence from home. _ For information call the Wilkes-Barre Law and Library Associa- & tion at 822-6712. ing from a gun shot wound to the abdomen. The soldier sur- vived. Above, DeRojas prepared to go on a mission. It wasn’t un- common for them to be hit with small arms fire and members of the team were armed to defend themselves. DeRojas on television Col. DeRojas will appear ona Catholic Television’s program, Sunday, Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 3 at 11 am. Tues., Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. and Wed., Nov. 5 at 9 p.m. Dr. Jan A. Olenginski — Orthodontic Specialist welcomes Dr. Brian D. Miller Dr. Jan A. Olenginski is pleased to announce that Brian D. Miller, DMD has joined his orthodontic practice. fi SEAN’S SKI TIPS Colonel DeRojas in his tent somewhere in Iraq. He just re- turned from his second tour there this year. . Dr. Miller is a native of the Back Mountain area and a graduate of Dallas High School. He attended Cedarville College in Ohio and graduated as salutatorian of his dental class at the University of Pittsburgh in 2000. Dr. Miller received his specialty training at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York where he earned a certificate to specialize in orthodontics. Q. Why should | get a ski helmet? Dr. Brian D. Miller . : A. Protection, comfort, style and warmth. There are many good reasons, but what is important to you? Fon 1080 W-B Township Boulevard, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 Drs. Miller and Olenginski will be practicing together in a continuing effort towards outstanding orthodontic care. They provide the most up-to-date orthodontic treatment for children and adults who are increasingly realizing the importance of a beautiful smile. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers