Week 4

Hello everyone again.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but WOW another
ridiculously busy week+.  I am late on my weekly
update because of some big events.  Be sure to look at
the photos, some gross ones and interesting ones.

Since my last email, I went on a UH-60/Blackhawk helo
medevac mission from Balad’s Combat Support Hospital
(CASH) to Baghdad’s main civilian hospital.  A Iraqi
national was injured and on a ventilator.  There was
some small arms fire which again was not very close.
The pilots say it happens about every other landing in
that area. After we landed, we transfered him to an
amoured ambulance and then convoyed to the hospital
which is off the airport.  Nerve racking just waiting
for the IEDs to off, but nothing happend.

A couple of days later, I was working in the ER with
my medic SGT Munoz when a suicide bomber ran into a
group of 8 soldiers on patrol outside our gate,
taliking to civilians, women and children and
detonated his vest.  The children where killed and a
women and the 8 soldiers where seriously wounded.
Because it happend so close, we only had about 3
minutes warning that the were inbound.  3 docs, 8
critical patients arriving all at once on 4
helicopters.  They rushed in put them in the trauma
bays and ran out.  My first patient had burns and
lacerations to his face, blast injuries to his right
shoulder and both legs.  He need blood and IV fluid to
bring his blood pressure up, he had lost a LOT of
blood.  We stabalized him and sent him to CT/xray.
The second soldier had several medium sized blast
wounds to his arms and legs and minor cuts to his
face, was stable but acting very violent and had to be
sedated.  It turns out that he had a brain injury
called a subdural hematoma.  He went to surgery to
have it drained.  He is doing fine.  The other
soldiers xrays/CT’s where negative, but he need
vascular surgery.  However 7 of the 8 guys needed
surgery right away and there were not enough people to
start the operations.  I volunteered to start the
operation till the vascular surgeon could get there.
The anesthia back-up doctor put him under while I
scrubbed in and began cleaning out the wounds and
temporarily clamping and tieing the vasular injuries.
The staff was very helpful since I can’t remember all
the instrument and tool names.

I pulled out several pieces of bone and meat that were
part of the suicide bomber.  (See the photos.)  Teeth,
bone and a finger joint.  Very disturbing.  When the
surgeon showed up we put the femoral vein and
saphenous veins back together and debrided the wounds.
I sewed up his face last and he went to the ICU.  The
next AM he went to germany and was awake before he
left and doing well.

Whew.

Last night I got in about midnight froma 2 day, 6 leg
mission on the UC-35 jet to Baghdad, Kuthar, United
Arab Emmaretes, Kuwait and back.  We stayed in Dubai,
UAE.  Very nice.  Beautiful hotels and good food.  We
were escorting 2 General Officers.  I got a coin from
a Brigadere General, which is cool.

So far Iraq is fascinating.  I am hoping to get to
meet some locals when it is not busy to get their
insights into our mission here and I will share it
with you.  As of right now, I am working in my clinic
all day, flying different missions and volunteering
with the ER and medevac, so I have been crazy busy.

Week 3

Hello everybody,

Be sure to look at the photos, some good ones.

WOW has it been a busy week.  We had a mass casualty or MASSCAL this week.  A truck of Iraqi soldiers was hit and rolled over, ejecting the people in the bed.  Several other vechicles where also involved as well as a pedestrian was run over.  My 3 medics and I grabbed out gear and ran to the hospital.  They put us right to work, I was sent to the treatment area and the medics heloed unload the helicopters.  I had 3 immeadiate aka critical patients, one with a broken left shoulder and arm as well as multiple lacerations/abrasions, another with a broken pelvis, femur, tibia/fibula and facial lacerations and the pedestrian that was ran over.  He had to be intubated, central line and blood as he was bleeding in his belly.  He went to surgery and survived.  The other 2 eventually went to ortho surgery after I cleared their other injuries.  Good stuff!!

I spent the rest of the week doing flight physicals and catching up on the stuff that was no done the last 3 months the unit did not have a doctor.  Lots of admin and tracking people down who where late in shots/vision/hearing, etc.

I got to spend my third birthday since joining the Army in the field.  My first was in basic training in 1992 and the at NTC (National Training Center, Ft Irwin, CA) in 1994, then here in Iraq.  The day started out pretty boring until about 6:00 pm…..

One of our unmanned aerial vehicles crashed on takeoff, the details are classified but needless to say it was a long night.  We had to go out to the scene and take photos, measurments and then take the operators/crew to the lab to draw blood and urine for alcohol and drugs.  Then today, I had to interview all 9 of the crew and take their histories over the last 72 hours.  My job is to decide if there were any human factors, such as health, fatigue, chemicals that could have contributed.  I have to sit on a board next week to present my findings.  I will send some photos once it is unclassified.

I have been on several flights allover Iraq.  We skirted the Iranian border, check the photos and landed in North Iraq, lots of mountains scary approach and then flew to Baghdad at night.  Saw several tracer rounds being fired, but none even close.  I think they shoot at the sound, but by then we are long gone.

Have been working out everyday, losing weight and toning up and eating good

Have a happy Thanksgiving and talk to you next week.