Karishma Naidu Kumar felt proud to be the first Indo-Fijian woman to be part of the military mission to the Golan Heights.

The Nadi Hospital nurse was one of the 21 medical personnel who were badged with a medal on Monday after returning from their 10-month service.

Ms Kumar told of the experiences and challenges she faced during her time at the Golan Heights.

“It was quite hard at first because I have to leave my only child, who was only in kindergarten last year and I was not there on her graduation. She is now in year one,” the 36-year-old said.

“The challenge too that we faced on our mission was the language. We did not know the Syrian language, the Hebrew language and also they did not know the English language. So we used sign language to interact with each other. It was hard because we not only looked after the Fijian Battalion, but also the local people as well.

“As a medic, there are tactics to use to attend to those people in a war-stricken area. The basic is same, but how we attend to a wounded person is different.

“I was easily adapted to that environment. The treatment we received there just diminished our homesickness,” she said.

“I was proud to be the first Indo-Fijian woman to be part of the military mission to the Golan Heights and receiving the medal was a great honour for me. I will never forget this.

“I received some negatives comments in being part of the mission, but I took those comments in a positive way and kept moving forward.

“I never would have dreamt of going to those places like Syria and Israel and it was a great opportunity for me that I will always cherish,” Ms Kumar said.

Meanwhile, another member of the medical team, staff nurse, Lai Tuapati said that it was a great and challenging experience for them and they were grateful that they were part of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to have the opportunity to visit the Golan Heights.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

Feedback: mereleki.nai@fijisun.com.fj