Nobles and Knaves

OPINION:

Noble: Dr. Robert Gherman, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Prince George’s Hospital Center who joined the Marine Corps Reserve and will ship out to Iraq in the fall to be an assistant battalion surgeon.

Although he’s no stranger to military service, Dr. Gherman has been brushing up his training, both on the battlefield and in the operating room. He spent more than a decade on active duty in the Navy, but was never required to so much as shoot a gun. So, he’s been working with his fellow Marines to learn the basics of combat as well as relearning some medical basics to help him when he’s overseas. In addition, Dr. Gherman has been helping train field medics, many of whom have only very basic training.

Dr. Gherman joined the Marines last summer in light of a physician shortage, knowing full well he would likely be deployed to Iraq. He told The Washington Post: “The bottom line is, whether you think the Iraq war is right or wrong, there are guys still getting injured.” That’s an admirable stance, and the good doctor is commended for his selflessness.

For helping fill the shortage of physicians in Iraq, Dr. Robert Gherman is the Noble of the Week.

Knave: The Central Texas Detention Facility in San Antonio, Texas, a private jail which not only allowed a prisoner to escape, but didn’t notice for a full day.

Sometime between Sunday and Monday afternoons (jail authorities aren’t sure exactly when), Esequiel Pena managed to squeeze through a gap he made in a chain-link fence around the rooftop recreation yard and slide down eight flights of fire escape to freedom. He was on the lam until Wednesday, when Boerne police were alerted that Pena was hiding out in an apartment complex in their town, which is located about 30 miles from San Antonio.

Not only was Pena — a convicted felon — able to escape from the jail (which is across the street from a police station), but no one even noticed. Once jail personnel alerted the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, sponsored by the U.S. Marshals Service, a manhunt got underway. Luckily for them, a citizen tipped authorities to Pena’s location and he was found quickly.

For their obliviousness to escaped convicts, the Central Texas Detention Facility is the Knave of the Week.