Been a Long Time........

It's been a long timw since my last posting. I've settled into civillian life once again as we are now hearing more and more rumors about another deployment. I think that it's just a matter of time. More to come soon........

Confidence in the Medic

Seems like this blog has come full circle, especially with this posting. A GREAT ARTICLE about military Medics was forwarded to me by a friend and I wanted to share it with everyone. I'd also like to share a few thoughts as well.

"They Call Us, Doc," is more than just the name of my blog. It has much more meaning than that. When a Medic is called, "Doc," by his fellow troops, it means that he (or she) is not only accepted by his comrades, but he is held in a high regard. Those guys know that he is their "guardian angel," in time of need. They respect him and take and take care of him like no other. They know that their Medic is trained to save their life and will do anything and everything possible to do just that if need be.

I was once told at NTC (the National Training Center) in California that our medical platoon was one of the most highly skilled medical platoons that they had ever seen. Not to slight the active-duty side, but National Guard and Reserve Medics do offer something a bit different than the guys that serve 365 days a year. Most of us work in the medical field in our civilian jobs and bring tons of medical knowledge and experience to the table. Many in my platoon are Firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics, Phlebotomists, LPNs and RNs. Most of us have years of civilian medical experience. There is much more than that to being a Combat Medic, but all of that experience does make a difference. We MUST NOT forget the awesome PAs and MDs that volunteer to leave their practices and families and to serve alongside us.

Anyway... a few pics:

Triage and treatment during a mass-casualty exercise at NTC before our deployment to Iraq.

Listening for ET tube placement during life-like training on a computerized mannequin at NTC.

HERE is a bit from the article that I spoke of:

Military Medical Services Give Troops Confidence, General Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 - U.S. military medics and corpsmen are on the front lines with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the troops have confidence in their abilities and in the standard of care throughout the entire military medical system, a top U.S. general said here today.

Every troop who goes into combat has tremendous respect for the medics who go forward with them, and these medics display the same courage and bravery as the rest of the troops, said Marine Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, at the State of the Military Health System 2006 Annual Conference.

"I'm talking about people who, hour after hour, in the most demanding environmental conditions, under the same combat conditions as the troops that are intentionally going forward in harm's way, they are there," Magnus said. "Whenever there is a soldier or Marine storming an enemy position, there is a corpsman or a medic that is right within sight."

The care given to wounded troops by medics on the front lines is exceptional, as is the care at every military facility on the route from the combat zone to the United States, Magnus said. Surgeons at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the nearby National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., are awestruck at the quality of work given to servicemembers at the combat surgical hospitals along the way, he said.

Polar Bear Run 2006

I've been able to do some fun things since returning home from Iraq. Participating in the CMA's annual Polar Bear Run has been just one of them. Out of about 200 bikers, only about a dozen or so were sport-bikes like mine but all of the CMA-ers welcomed us with open arms. Luckily, the temperatures were great on that day. Here are a few pics taken by my brother-in-law:

Me givin' the "thumbs-up" sign and havin' a good time.

Just one of the awesome custom bikes at the ride, which was held in Columbia, Tennessee. This one stood out to me for obvious reasons.

Are Cuts Coming??

TN Sens. Frist and Alexander and Gov. Bredesen weigh in on the rumors of cuts to the 278th RCT and other units in the Tennessee Army and Air National Guard:


National Guard cuts could hurt, Bredesen says
Alexander, Frist oppose reductions

By GARY TANNER
Associated Press

KNOXVILLE — The loss of National Guard forces and equipment could harm Tennessee's responses to natural disasters, terrorist acts and other major emergencies, Gov. Phil Bredesen said yesterday.

Tennessee Sens. Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander also are questioning Pentagon plans that might reduce the strength of National Guard units "especially during a time of war."

Bredesen said he will discuss possible cuts with the Tennessee congressional delegation to determine how to fight possible cuts in the number of brigade combat teams, such as the Knoxville-based 278th Regimental Combat Team. About 3,200 Tennesseans belong to the 278th, which recently returned from a yearlong tour of Iraq.

Frist and Alexander made their case in a letter that they delivered to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace on Thursday.

Frist said he shared with them "my deep opposition to a reduction in Guard numbers."

"The National Guard has proven to be a vital part of our efforts to fight the war on terror, is a deterrent to potential adversaries abroad, and stands ready to assist in homeland security and domestic crises," the senators wrote in their letter, obtained by The Knoxville News Sentinel. "As such, it is imperative that the guard maintain its combat strength and continue … to safeguard our nation's security."


Read the rest, HERE.

No More 278th?!

We knew of upcoming changes to our Regiment, the 278th RCT, but THIS is news to me. A bit of a story from today's Tennessean:


Talk of cutbacks worries Tennessee Guard's leader
Secretary of Army says there will be no reductions
By BILL THEOBALD
Tennessean Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The largest Tennessee National Guard unit may be cut or have its role radically changed, a frustrated head of the state's Guard said yesterday.

"I think it's absurd," Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett said. "It would be devastating to us in Tennessee if that happens."

Hargett, adjutant general of the Guard, is referring to the recent swirl of reports that the Pentagon is about to announce cuts of up to 50,000 Army and Air Guard positions nationwide.

The Tennessee Army Guard has been mentioned in those reports because it has a sizable ground unit, the 4,000-member 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Changing the Knoxville-based armored cavalry unit, which includes Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles and howitzers situated throughout the middle and eastern portions of the state, into a unit providing support functions such as maintenance also would hurt recruiting, Hargett said.

Soldiers coming out of regular Army cavalry units want to go to similar Guard units, he said.

Eviscerating the 278th also would insult the unit's members who returned last fall after a year in Iraq, Hargett said.

"Why do away with a brigade like the 278th when it's proven" it can perform overseas, he said.


Read the rest, HERE.

Shoppin' Iraqi-Style

A typical "strip-mall" in Iraq. These little buildings were located on the side of the road just outside our FOB (Forward Operational Base). The people that owned them sold drinks and snacks and they were usually hopping with business, but on this particular day were closed. Must have been a Friday!

Preach it, Tracey!

Tracey Schmitt, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, says it right when she speaks about the former VP's comments:


Gore says Bush has broken law often
He urges probe into 'shameful' wiretaps
Tennessean News Services

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore accused President Bush of breaking the law by authorizing wiretaps on U.S. citizens without court warrants and called on Congress yesterday to reassert its oversight responsibilities on a "shameful exercise of power" by the White House.

"The president of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and insistently," Gore said in a speech at Constitution Hall in Washington. "A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government."


What a LOAD of CRAP!
Anyway....


A spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, Tracey Schmitt, attacked Gore's comments.

"Al Gore's incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America," Schmitt said.

"While the president works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger."


Preach it, Tracey! Read the whole thing (or not) HERE.

Changes-a-Comin'

We were notified of this, just before we redeployed home: The transformation of the Army (full-time and guard/reserve). Here are the details that concern us as the 278th:


News Analysis: Guard transformation taking shape
By Maj. Les A. Melnyk
January 11, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Jan. 11, 2006) — The Army National Guard’s transformation, highlighted by the organization of 34 new modular brigades, continues to march toward a programmed completion date of 2008.

The transformation to these cost-effective, rapidly deployable formations is occurring in the midst of ongoing deployments overseas in support of the Global War on Terror, as well as extensive deployments here in the United States for Operation Noble Eagle and for domestic disaster response.

For much of 2005, the Army Guard contributed half of the Army’s combat forces on the ground in Iraq. These combat-proven units in many cases returned to immediately begin transformation to the new, modular configuration, with the goal being to make them identical in structure and manning to their active Army counterparts – though at a considerably cheaper price, since the Guard units are manned by part-time citizen-soldiers.

Seventy-three percent of all Army National Guard units are affected by transformation – the largest shift in Guard force structure since the end of World War II. The transition began in fiscal year 2005.

The Army Guard will also have two armored BCTs – the 116th in Idaho and the 278th in Tennessee – that will adopt the designation “Cavalry BCT” because these units have long histories of service as cavalry organizations.


Read the rest, HERE.

Update on Iraqi Child

I've been invited to speak to the Columbia Rotary Club during their luncheon tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Till the report from there, here's an update on Gufran, the little Iraqi girl with Spina Bifida that is now in the U.S. preparing to receive treatment:


Another Iraqi child finds hope for a healthier life in East Tennessee

In the last week, Gunner, from WIVK, has watched his family grow. The radio personality is sharing his home with Abdul Alayass and his daughter, Gufran.

"We have become very close already," says Gunner.

"He cannot believe that he is here and he's just happy to see that there is hope," says translator Lina Shatara for Alayass.

Hope for his little girl who has Spina Bifida. Since Gufran was born, Alayass has dreamed of treatment. He did not think it would ever be possible until he met 278th soldiers in Baghdad.

Gufran met with surgeons Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Rick glover, a Pediatrician, is coordinating her care. Maryville's First United Methodist Church paid Alayass and Gufran's travel experiences from Iraq to Knoxville. A local foundation, the Faith Welch Fund, is covering her hospital treatment. And, surgeons at Children's are donating their time.

Currently, Gunner and others are working to get Gufran's mother, Zeinab, to the states.


Read the rest, HERE.

"Happy Gear"

I wouldn't have chosen to go out on missions without the main vest of my body armor, even if our commanders would have allowed it. There were some pieces that many of us would leave behind though. The 140 degree temperatures are hot enough and it's hard enough to move around without all of the "extra" gear that comes with the body armor, like shoulder pads, crotch pad, neck piece, etc... But that's just me. Some guys would wear it all...Mostly the slightly exposed gunners in the hatch of a vehicle or point-men on a foot patrol.

I think there is a fine line between having tons of armor on and being totally protected and not being able to maneuver, thus compromising the security and safety of yourself, your team and the mission. I wanted protection so that I could make it back home to my family but I believe that if it's your time to go, it's your time to go and there's nothing you can do about it.

Some of the 101st agree with me:


U.S. Soldiers Question Use of More Armor

By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer
Last update: January 07, 2006, 9:50 PM

BEIJI, Iraq (AP) - U.S. soldiers in the field were not all supportive of a Pentagon study that found improved body armor saves lives, with some troops arguing Saturday that more armor would hinder combat effectiveness.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade "Rakkasans'' are required to wear an array of protective clothing they refer to as their "happy gear,'' ranging from Kevlar drapes over their shoulders and sides, to knee pads and fire-resistant uniforms.

But many soldiers say they feel encumbered by the weight and restricted by fabric that does not move as they do. They frequently joke as they strap on their equipment before a patrol, and express relief when they return and peel it off.

Second Lt. Josh Suthoff, 23, of Jefferson City, Mo., said he already sacrifices enough movement when he wears the equipment. More armor would only increase his chances of getting killed, he said.

"You can slap body armor on all you want, but it's not going to help anything. When it's your time, it's your time,'' said Suthoff, a platoon leader in the brigade's 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment. "I'd go out with less body armor if I could.''


Read the rest, HERE.

A Year Ago...In Iraq

From an email sent to family and friends one year ago:

Tuesday, 11 Jan 2005 04:45

As I was getting ready to shower and get to sleep, Bernie (my roommate) and I got word over the handheld radio that a wounded Iraqi Army soldier was on the way in and we were needed at the Aid Station. We threw our stuff on and made our way down to prepare for the casualty. When we got there, we were told that it was a GSW (gunshot wound) to the lower extremity. We primed fluid, prepared bandages and double-checked our O2 tanks and tubing.

When someone from outside the FOB comes in for treatment, one of our ambulance teams meets them at our ECP (entry control point) and the patient is transferred from their vehicle to ours. Once they are en route, the ambulance team contacts us with an update on the patient. In this particular case, it was a GSW to the foot and the bleeding had been controlled. He had an IV started and that was about all we knew.

About two minutes later, the crew carried him into the Aid Station where Bernie and I proceeded to cut off his uniform so that we could better assess the injury and to look for any other possible injuries. We started O2 and got some baseline vital signs. He seemed to be very stable as we were communicating with him through a translator, asking him questions and letting him know everything that we were doing for him.

We noticed that the IV was no longer viable, so Bernie and I both started 14 gauge IV's on him. If you have a trauma patient, it's better to get the best IV access possible, as long as they have the veins to handle it. In this type of field environment, a central access line is just about out of the question.

We gave him Normal Saline and I pushed 2mg of Morphine to control some of his pain. After the Morphine, I didn't need a translator to see that he was feeling a bit better. The bullet was still lodged in his ankle region and he had some major swelling and internal bleeding in his foot. We called for a MEDEVAC and packaged him up to leave. About fifteen minutes later, the bird came and he was gone. Bernie and I cleaned up and went back to the CHU for a good night of sleep. We all worked well together and it was a good night.

Pastor Believes in Iraq Policy

In Febuary of 2005, I had the oppotunity to meet Chaplain (Maj ) Berry, a visiting chaplain filling in for our 3rd Squadron chaplain who had been promoted to a Regimental position. His worship services were warm and fufilling, but it wasn't until later that most of us discovered that in his civilian position, he served as the pastor of the Crawford United Methodist Church in Crawford, Tx. Guess who attends Pastor Berry's church services while he's home from the White House??

HERE'S a good story, from Chaplain Berry's point of view:

CRAWFORD – After a year along the borderland of Iraq and Iran, military chaplain John Kent Berry is back in his civilian post as pastor of Crawford United Methodist Church.

What's more, he remains firmly behind the Iraq policies espoused by his neighbor down the road, President Bush, even as polls suggest many Americans now have deep reservations about the war begun in 2003.

Berry last saw his church family in June 2004 when he was called up for duty with the Texas Army National Guard as chaplain to the 386th Engineer Battalion of the 49th Armored Division. The 386th fused with the 278th Regiment, an attachment to the Tennessee National Guard, and became part of the 42nd Infantry Division.

One of seven chaplains assigned to the regiment, which lost 11 members to insurgent violence during his deployment, Berry said he was kept busy counseling soldiers who'd seen comrades killed or maimed by terrorist bombs and sniper fire.

He also developed a deep affection for the people of Iraq, all of whom suffered under the Saddam Hussein regime toppled by U.S. forces.

"They are not all crazy people," he said. "Sure, there are crazies over there. But heavens, don't we have them here, too?"

Before he went overseas, he was in favor of the invasion of Iraq, he said. Eighteen months in the thick of action has not altered his conviction that it was the right thing to do.

"Like Vice President Dick Cheney says, 'We've got the big picture right,'" Berry said. "We are seeing successes there."

For example, he said, the 278th combat regiment went into the Diyala and Saleh ad Din provinces with more than 4,000 troops and about 400 Iraqi regulars. When the 278th left last month, some 400 troops of the 101st Airborne remained on site with about 4,000 Iraqi army personnel to keep the peace.

American troops have improved the quality of life for ordinary Iraqis, he said, by digging wells, paving roads, providing health care, establishing libraries, setting up dozens of electric generators and organizing the first city councils in the newly democratic country.

"Yes, the people are learning to trust again" after some 30 years of despotism, he said. "They have been through so much as a people. The real benefit (of the new freedoms) will be with the children."

Read the rest.

Iraqi Children

Was it because I missed my two, young daughters more than I could have ever imagined or was it because I knew that I could help these children in a way that many of them had never had the opportunity to be helped before? I think that the answer lies somewhere in between. I'm speaking of the children of Iraq, or what many of us referred to as, "the future of Iraq."

Some of us (Medics) jumped at each and every opportunity that we got to go out on missions which would involve providing medical support to local, Iraqi civilians in small villages throughout our area of operations. Even though you could never escape the true danger of our mission there, these MEDCAP-type visits could give us the chance to see our hard work paying off, many times over. Just to see the smiles of the little Iraqi boys and girls would, in some way, make me feel closer to my own daughters back home in Tennessee and I knew that they would be proud that I was helping children the same age as they were, half-way around the world.

HERE is a great story of good work still going on with the Iraqi children, even though the 278th is back home:

A young Iraqi girl is scheduled to arrive in Blount County late tonight so she can get medical treatment for a birth defect.

The 8-year-old girl and her father are scheduled to arrive at McGhee Tyson Airport at 11 p.m., said radio personality Gunner, of WIVK.

Gufran Alayass has spina bifida, a birth defect that prevents the spinal column from closing, and uses a wheelchair. She will be treated at Children's Hospital in Knoxville.

The plight of Gufran came to light when a soldier with the 278th Regimental Combat Team stationed at Camp Cobra, a forward operating base, pleaded for help for her during a broadcast with Gunner, who lives in Blount County.

While the 278th was stationed in Iraq, Gunner did a weekly broadcast ``Voices from the Front.'' During one broadcast, Maj. Mark Sharber, a member of the 278th from Murfreesboro, asked for help for the child.


Please read the rest.

A Year Ago, Today...In Iraq

While in Iraq, I kept a journal for a brief period of time but I found it repetitive, since I emailed friends and family back home on a regular basis. My supervisor back home at the hospital where I work kept each and every email, card or letter and newspaper article that I had sent. Once I returned home, she gave me a huge binder that contained each page of email or letter, carefully placed in protective sleeves. What an awesome gift!

Anyway...Here is what I was doing this time last year in Iraq, so says the email:


Fri, 31 Dec 2004 17:31

Today, I treated two IA (Iraqi Army) soldiers for various injuries. When they come in, our standard procedure is to call our HQ and request a translator. The translators come from various backgrounds. I've learned so much already about the people and customs/culture but I could still sit and listen to their stories all day long. It's amazing to hear of some of the hardships that most of the people and their families had gone through before Saddam was removed from power.

Anyway, the particular translator that helped us today was born in Iraq, but both of his parents were from Iran. They both came to Iraq during the Iraq/Iran war, where they gave birth to him. Iraq would not recognize him as a citizen, even though he was born in Iraq. He could not be called a citizen of Iran either. In his own words, "I had no real home."

Saddam's government kept he and his family, along with thousands of other Iranian refugees, in a "camp." They were told that they could not leave the "camp" and if they were ever caught outside the gates, they would be jailed. He is 19 years old now, has lived in Iraq all of his life and before the country was liberated he had only ever seen two cities during that entire time.

He thanked me for what we are doing here. He said that so much, "bad has been stopped," by us being here. It really makes me feel better about being here, when I can hear the individual stories of these people and I just wanted to share this one with you.

See you all soon! I miss you all! God bless!

What?!

THIS KID didn't even have the HILLBILLY ARMOR that we had (before we crossed from Kuwait into Iraq back in November of 2004) when he decided to venture away from his home in Florida to Iraq, ALONE:

KIDS: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME...SERIOUSLY!

...at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.

And he didn't even tell his parents.

It begins with a high school class on "immersion journalism" and one overly eager — or naively idealistic — student who's lucky to be alive after going way beyond what any teacher would ask.

The next trimester his class was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it, Hassan said. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism there, too, though he knows his school in no way endorses his travels.

"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he told The Associated Press.

Hassan's extra-mile attitude took him east through eight time zones, from Fort Lauderdale to Kuwait City. His plan was to take a taxi across the border and ultimately to Baghdad — an unconventional, expensive and utterly dangerous route.

Attempting to get into Iraq, Hassan took a taxi from Kuwait City to the border 55 miles away. He spoke English at the border and was soon surrounded by about 15 men, a scene he wanted no part of. On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.

"In one day I probably spent like $250 on taxis," he said. "And they're so evil too, because they ripped me off, and when I wouldn't pay the ripped-off price they started threatening me. It was bad."

It could have been worse — the border could have been open.

As luck would have it, the teenager found himself at the Iraq-Kuwait line sometime on Dec. 13, and the border security was extra tight because of Iraq's Dec. 15 parliamentary elections. The timing saved him from a dangerous trip.

"If they'd let me in from Kuwait, I probably would have died," he acknowledged. "That would have been a bad idea."