Milwaukee nurse arrives in Israel, delivers supplies amid war effort
MILWAUKEE - A nurse from Milwaukee's VA Medical Center is now in Israel, thousands of miles away from home doing what she knows best.
While images of war tend to steer people away, Heather Berken ran toward danger to help and heal in any way she can.
"What was awful was sitting at home watching the news, feeling so far away," she said. "It feels better being here, doing something."
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Berken arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night. She is back in a country she loves, though one with a much different feel now.
"What I’m seeing, just being here 24 hours, is everyone is a little bit traumatized and still in shock," she said. "That’s going to linger for a long time."
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The emergency department nurse has linked up with various organizations in Israel. She's currently staying with friends and waiting to be deployed.
"Even just to come here and help anyone in ways that this war is affecting them, that felt important enough for me to get on a plane and come here," she said.
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Berken brought along supplies like gauze and tourniquets, as well as letters of support from back home. She even delivered bulletproof vests and helmets to a man with family in Milwaukee.
"I wanted to be a positive message to the people of Israel that they’re not in this alone," she said. "It is scary, it is risky, I know all my friends back at home are afraid for me, but I don’t feel scared."