Fern Holland was born in Bluejacket Oklahoma in the 1970's.  Fern went 
though a rough childhood when her mother attempted suicide when she was 4 and her 
father died of a heart attack when she was 12.  Although she had this rough 
childhood, her brother said in an interview that she "never got any special 
treatment." He said that "she just did it."  When asked what "it" was he 
responded that it was "making herself perfect."  As a child she was a strait A 
student who was also a peacemaker, comedian, and athlete. She was pretty, 
popular, and always a friend of the ostracized.  She attended medical school and 
law school so that she could use her talents to help people all around the 
world.  After a few years of helping the diseased and poor in Russia,Africa, and 
the United States, she ended up joining the Peace Corps.  One of her largest 
accomplishments during those few years was the establishment of a legal-aid 
clinic in Guinea for abused women and children.  Although no one thought that her 
plan was realistic, she was convinced that legal-aid was possible in Africa.  

       Working in the Peace Corps led her to the Babil, in the middle East.  She 
was convinced that she needed to stay there once she saw the mass graves of 
those that died in the Iran-Iraq War.  While in Iraq, she worked for the CPA(The 
Coalition Provisional Authority) and the USAID(United State Agency for 
International Development).  Holland picked up the vision of Mike Gfoeller, 
a CPS coordinator in Babil.  His plan was to open human rights and women's 
centers and tribal democracy centers in each of the five Shiite provinces he 
governed.  Despite the strong local opposition, she worked in Babil to educate 
the people about what democracy really is, about law, and about equal 
rights(mostly for women).  She organized gathering at the local university, and 
her boss at USAID said that she was able to "take them to greater heights than 
they'd ever imagined."  

       Although on March 9th, 2004 Fern and two of her coworkers were killed in 
an attack by six Karbala police men, Fern's family and friends continued her 
dream by establishing The Fern L. Holland Charitable Fund.  Their plan to continue 
bringing hope and quality to the people of Iraq through the generosity of 
others and to provide economic and other support to those causes for which Fern gave her life.

Sources:
Fern Holland's War By: Elizabeth Rubin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fern_holland
http://fernholland.newsok.com/?fern_stories