Minion Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/ucla-student-libya/ Bummed out by the end of summer vacation? Want to take the awesomest road trip evar? Not really bothered by the idea of conflict tourism or turning someone else’s struggle for freedom into your bar-stool anecdote? Dude: you need to join the Libyan revolution! Bradley Hope, a reporter covering Libya’s uprising, writes in Abu Dhabi newspaper The National that he recently made a curious discovery near An Nawfaliyah: Chris Jeon, a 21-year old University of California–Los Angeles math student. That’s Jeon in the picture above, very unsafely resting his rifle on the ground with the barrel pointed up while his new buddies crowd around. Spoiler: He doesn’t have any military experience. Why’d he make the long trek from L.A. to L-iby-A? “It is the end of my summer vacation, so I thought it would be cool to join the rebels,” Jeon told Hope. “This is one of the only real revolutions.” Hope describes Jeon as someone “who took a wrong turn on their way to the beach or the Santa Monica Pier,” dressed in his L.A. jersey in a battlefield, asking dudes if they can teach him how to shoot an AK-47. Or trying to — he doesn’t speak Arabic. “I want to fight in Sirte!” he declares, referring to one of the final strongholds of Moammar Gadhafi loyalists. The Libyans Jeon’s joined don’t appear too troubled by the American in their midst. They’ve dubbed him “Ahmed El Maghrabi Saidi Barga.” He doesn’t know what it means, but whenever he says it out loud, they cheer him. Jeon surely doesn’t mean any harm. And it’s not as if the Libyans he’s with are super-professional soldiers. But they’re fighting for their freedom and their lives. Jeon is taking a cavalier detour through their war, bringing along his video camera to pick up some “great footage.” Hopefully he won’t get himself or anyone hurt while he finishes up his war-zone road trip. Gotta say that looks good on med school app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 It almost reads like satire: http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/road-trip-american-student-joins-rebels-in-fight-for-qaddafi-stronghold Also brought to mind this story, which unfortunately isn't: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/25/canadian-rebel-fighter-killed-in-tripoli/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 not so sure how this would play out to adcoms, its not as if he was a medic - I have trouble considering this as in the top 10 of ECs but to each their own. Moreover, he may be dead in 10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
<abstract> Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Not as good as the guy who cured aids and cancer at the same time while volunteering as a medic to help the orphans in the deep jungles of Cambodia and all the while getting his story published in Nature, Time, and National Geographic. Man, I guess I have to join a revolution to get accepted into meds now.. shucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minion Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Also brought to mind this story, which unfortunately isn't: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/08/25/canadian-rebel-fighter-killed-in-tripoli/ That was a tragic story... not so sure how this would play out to adcoms, its not as if he was a medic - I have trouble considering this as in the top 10 of ECs but to each their own. Moreover, he may be dead in 10 days. I was being sarcastic when I said it looks good on med school app.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Had you added "lol" I would have understood where you were coming from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.