'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Dozier, Brolan, and Douglas

So our friend Dr. David Steinbruner was actually involved in treating the courageous and smart CBS News correspondent Kimberley Dozier after her near-fatal injury in Iraq Monday.

Dozier's colleagues James Brolan and Paul Douglas were killed in that attack. When I was working in Lebanon during the war there, my husband was a TV cameraman. I know that those guys (and the still photogs) run the very biggest risks of anyone.

Deep condolences to Brolan and Douglas's families.

And my prayers for Dozier's best possible recovery. (I think that Scott Harrop, who actually knew Dozier fairly well when she was a grad student in Middle East affairs here at Virginia some dozen years ago, is going to post more here about her.)

Dozier is now in Landstuhl military hospital, in Germany. CBS's latest report states:

Dozier was under heavy sedation when her parents, siblings and boyfriend arrived, hospital spokeswoman Marie Shaw said. Still, Dozier reacted to the arrival of her boyfriend, Shaw added.

"She was aware of his presence. She is still very seriously injured, but she's stable and she responds to stimuli," Shaw said.

Dozier is in critical but stable condition and, according to a statement from CBS, is "resting comfortably today after receiving further treatment for injuries to her head and legs." "We are encouraged by reports from Dozier's doctors about the outcome of her recent surgeries," the statement continued.

David S. has meanwhile been doing a fabulous job as a combat ER doc there in Baghdad. In one of the reflections he sent us, he wrote movingly about how agonizing he found it that according to the military orders under which he works that ER there is allowed to treat only members of the US and "coalition" militaries and members of a small number of other designated groups like some US and coalition non-military people and some Iraqi military people.

It would be great if every person injured in the war in Iraq could receive treatment as expert as Dozier has received.

Of course, if there were not a war in Iraq, none of this would have happened.