Witch doctor, US Navy save hiker
A MELBOURNE lawyer who became seriously ill while hiking on the Kokoda Trail was guarded by a witch doctor in a remote Papua New Guinea village until she was rescued by the US Navy.
Debra Paver had seizures and fell into a coma on the trail last week.
While she clung to life, a woman witch doctor brandishing a machete watched over her…
At the request of the US embassy in Port Moresby, a helicopter was sent on Friday from the ship.
The helicopter landed on a small patch of land in the mountains in thick fog at 1800 metres.
Ms Paver, 44, of Brighton East, was flown to the USNS Mercy and admitted to the intensive care unit where she began to recover from hyponatremia, low sodium levels in the blood.
Join the Navy, see the world. Provide material support to Papua New Guinian witch doctors.
Some guys will do anything for a little liberty.
Update: As Sim points out in comments, the Mercy’s CO has his own blog and talks about the event. Cool.
Guilty as charged! Bring on the Wench Doctors and the half nekkid native gals…..
Oh, you meant WITCH Doctors…..
Never mind.
Subsunk
The Captain actually has a blog at http://mercycaptain.blogspot.com/
It includes this little gem:
Lawyer eh? Wonder if she graduated from Berkeley. That would be ironic.
Not unless Berkley opened an office I’m unaware of… at a guess I’d say University of Melbourne if she was educated here…
Navy News is as PC as Navy policies. Big Navy PAO is almost as bad as the Coast Guard in putting out irrelevant and stupid stories of supposed “human interest”.
All the action is in Afghanistan folks for the US military. NOTHING else matters.
b2/alias kiljoy
I’d go back and give the witch doctor a Life Saving Medal.
B2? Bruce Jones? Kiljoy?
I need a program.
20 years ago, when I was a young, good looking (okay, better looking than I am now) Ensign (with WINGS!) I was temped at Navy Recruiting District Washington DC. I was assigned the task of escorting about 20 young, good looking potential Navy Nurses to a tour of Mercy up in Baltimore.
I love that ship.