Originally she joined the military because she wanted to provide stability for her three children.

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She became involved in left-wing politics and joined the underground resistance to the military dictatorship that seized power in 1964.

BBC: Brazil country profile

She joined the U.S. Navy Corps in 1996 as a nurse, and has served at military medical facilities around the world. as a pre-doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania, her research is focused on traumatic brain injury.

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