Soldier there on that day

5/30/10

To whomever reads this,

I am Sgt William Gamble. I was one of 3 soldiers who realized that Marla had not died from the car bomb and quickly put her on to a stretcher and transported her to a hospital.

I never knew this site existed or have really looked into to it but the image of her face will never escape my thoughts. I dream about that day repeatedly and can still see her look up and with everything she had to tell say to us "I'm an American".

Anyone who may doubt if I was there are not can look in the article of Rolling Stone; I am the one to right of the 3 soldiers on page 71.

Sweet Relief: The Marla Ruzicka Story

New book about Marla due out. Amazon.com

Written by Jennifer Abrahamson, who has written for Slate from South Africa and Darfur, was collaborating with Marla Ruzicka on a book about her work.

Read Jennifer's memory of Marla in Slate

Marla: Mission Continued

"Marla wanted to humanize the rising numbers of war, to give each victim back their name and face and record their story. She knew that people are moved, not by abstractions, but by the stories of real people. If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough, said photojournalist Robert Capa. Marla's pictures were all close-ups."

Alternet

Marla Ruzicka International Public Service Fellowship

The Watson Institute announces the establishment of a new undergraduate fellowship named for the late Marla Ruzicka, a human rights activist who died in April 2005 during a suicide bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. This award has been made possible through the generosity of Lucinda B. Watson, a member of the Watson Institute Board of Overseers and the daughter of the late Thomas J. Watson, Jr. ’37, the namesake of the Institute.

You can find more information at The Watson Institute.

Remembering Marla on her Birthday

Thanks for this.

Postcards from Marla-land

This is something I wrote... At the time. I just came across your blog tonight. Thanks for that.

Commentary: Postcards from Marla-land
Published 4/19/2005 2:55 PM

WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- The news that came Saturday evening in a short phone call from a mutual friend should not have been unexpected.

Baghdad is, after all, one of the most dangerous places on Earth, and Westerners -- even those like my friend Marla Ruzicka, who was there to help ordinary Iraqis -- are targets for the Baathist insurgents and foreign jihadis.

But somehow it was impossible to believe that Marla -- bright, smiley, bouncy Marla, the Rollerblade queen of Rock Creek Park -- was dead...

more here

Shaun Waterman
UPI Homeland and National Security Editor

The Girl Who Tried to Save the World - Rolling Stone

"Ruzicka is perhaps the most famous American aid worker to die in any conflict of the past ten or twenty years. Though a novice in life -- she had less than four years of professional humanitarian experience -- her death resonated far beyond the tightly knit group of war junkies and policymakers who knew her. She stands as a youthful representative of a certain kind of not-yet-lost American idealism, and darkly symbolic of what has gone so tragically wrong in Iraq. And yet trying to understand her is complicated by the fact that so much of her complex, and often deeply compartmentalized life remains a mystery to even those who knew her best."

Rolling Stone

Activist recalled for her devotion to Iraqis - CNN

A report from the DC tribute to Marla.

CNN International

Burlington Free Press - Editorial

A friend's commitment to humanity

Marla Sightings

1. Toward the end of the Enron movie, it's the summer of 2001. While Jeff Skilling is speaking before the public about the California energy crisis, he receives a pie in the face. The pie thrower is escorted from the room. In the next shot we see Marla being similarly "escorted" and saying, "Where I work, half the people come to me and say they can't pay their electric bill."

2. There is a very revealing interview with Marla beginning at page 299 of the book - Embedded: The Media War in Iraq, An Oral History - by Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson. Among other things, she talks about undergoing an identity change after consoling traumatized young reporters in Afghanistan and why she spent so much time swimming.

Just wanted to share these "sightings",

Terry Silver
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Capitol Hill Tribute to Marla Ruzicka - Saturday, May 14

The Capitol Hill tribute to the life and work of Marla Ruzicka will be held in Washington on Saturday, May 14, from 2-4 p.m., in the Senate Caucus Room (Room 325 of the Russell Senate Building).

Entrance will be through the adjacent Dirksen Senate Building, at the corner of First and C Streets, N.E.

Marla Ruzicka, who at the age of 28 was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad on April 16, was a passionate advocate for innocent victims of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. She documented their stories and inspired congressional support for their needs. Congress responded by creating unprecedented war victims assistance programs that are now at work in Afghanistan and Iraq under legislation sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Leahy will host the tribute, and speakers will include U.S. government officials and some of Marla's many friends.

A reception will immediately follow at Perry's Restaurant, at the corner of Columbia Road and Biltmore Street, N.W., in Washington's Adams-Morgan neighborhood. The press and the public are invited to both events.

Contact: David Carle of the Office of Office of Sen. Patrick Leahy, 202-224-3693

Iraqi Civilian War Casualties Report - FINAL

a note from the director of the survey...

Each one of these thousands has a life, memories, hopes. Each one had his moments of sadness, moments of joy and moments of love.

In respect to their sacred memory, I would appreciate it if you could spend some minutes reading the database file: read their names, and their personal details, and think about them as human beings, friends, and relatives -- not mere figures and numbers.

Read the report here.

Glimpses of Marla

A short film shown at the activists' memorial for Marla Ruzicka in San Francisco on 5/3/05.

BBC - Afghan memorial for US activist

"Many of those Ruzicka had helped or worked with came to the memorial ceremony at a guesthouse in the capital, speaking of her warmth and enthusiasm.

Esanullah, a cluster bomb victim, helps unveil the plaque
People held red tulips which were then laid beneath a plaque on a wall."

BBC NEWS

Marla's Work in Context

Via CNN video.

Bay Area Event for Marla May 3, 2005

Honoring and Celebrating the Life of Human-Rights Activist Marla Ruzicka

Tuesday, May 3rd , 7:30 PM
The Women's Building
3543 18th Street @ Valencia
San Francisco, CA
Information: (415) 255-7296

Please join us on this very special evening to honor and celebrate the life and work of Marla Ruzicka, former Bay-Area activist, friend, and colleague who was killed in Baghdad on Saturday, April 16. Marla's work in Afghanistan and Iraq with her organization Campaign for Innocent Victims In Conflict (CIVIC) brought much needed attention to the all too often overlooked civilian deaths and losses suffered during these wars. Marla will be remembered for her tireless work for justice and also for her unyielding zest for life, remarkable capacity for joy, and deep loyalty to friends and family. Her spirit will leave an indelible mark in the world.

Nationwide Vigils for Marla Ruzicka - May 3

"The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC), the organization founded by Marla Ruzicka, the 28-year-old aid worker who was killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq this week, is calling on people throughout the United States to honor and promote Marla and Faiz's work by commemorating their life work and taking action on behalf of civilian casualties of war."

Read the press release here.

Eulogies for Marla

Highlights of the eulogies for Marla Ruzicka that were delivered Saturday, April 23, 2005 in at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Lakeport, California.

Thanks to the Lake County Record-Bee