In the Army and Loving It

Army Specialist Samantha Shipley of St. Petersburg, who is serving in Iraq.

Serving in the Military has been a long-time dream of Samantha Shipley. She was in the JROTC at St. Petersburg's Gibbs High. And followed her grandmother and great-aunts into the service. She's in the Army now, serving as a dental specialist in Balad, Iraq, with the 502 Dental Company. She likens her daily experiences to the TV show, "Scrubs," saying they try to keep things light, since everyone is already under stress by serving in Iraq. Shipley wants to make a career of the Army. Not yet 21, she says the hardest part is being so far away from home and not having "someone to fall back on."