TRUE CHARACTER OF NAVY MEDIC CLEAR TO HIS FAMILY.

Byline: - Dana Bartholomew

For the family of Navy Chief Petty Officer Emmanuel Evangelista, the news photo sent around the world says it all: A Navy corpsman, stroking the head of an injured Iraqi baby.

``That is the nature of my husband,'' said the medic's wife, Chrea. ``He loves kids.''

In the photo, Evangelista cradles an infant injured when Iraqi refugees were hit by indirect fire Wednesday near An Nasiriya. It was the first word of Emmanuel in a week - and the first indication he was close to the front lines.

``Oh my God, I am very happy. I'm so happy he's OK,'' Chrea said, choking back tears. ``It's been a week since I heard from him - knowing that he's OK makes all the difference.''

Evangelista is attached to the Naval Ambulatory Care Center at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Center and shipped out with a Marine detachment on Feb. 24. He's a 16-year veteran and saw duty in the 1991 Gulf War.

His wife and their 5-year-old daughter, Katrina, have heard from him only twice since he shipped out.

``We take it a day at a time, it's never been easy for us,'' said Chrea, a military base worker who married Emmanuel in 1996. ``There's no single moment that my daughter and me don't think about him.

``I cry at dinner every night, because I think of him. My daughter says, 'It's OK, I'm sure my father misses us, too.' Oh, I'm so glad that he's OK ... but knowing that he's in An Nasiriya, where the action is, scares me.'''