Well here I sit on the 4th of July in Balad, Iraq. I never in a million years would have thought at this time last year that one year later I would be here. Tonight, my unit is having a pool party cook-out that is not "mandatory" but you better be there. I like to call that "mandatory family fun". HAHA!!
Hey you will never guess but we had yet another dust storm! Ha! Who would have thought such a thing. Can you hear the condisention in my tone??!! Anyway....been pretty much the same crap up here. With the exception of finally working the heli pad at the hospital and taking off a wounded local with a gunshot wound to the head. I was scared to death when I heard what was coming off the helo and I had no clue what I was about to see. I was told I would be the "driver" which means I would be the one to drive the gurney out the the helo following the strong arms and the helpers. We get to the helo..at night...the wind whipping my freaking hair all over the place...the pilots wouldn't move for me to get the gurney close enough to the door. I was freaking out. I couldn't get the legs of the gurney down fast enough and before I knew it the strong arms had the stretcher out and was about to place it on the gurney and I was yelling at them to hold on so I could secure the legs. I swear it seemed like it was all going in slow motion. The patient was sitting up which threw off the center of balance, he wasn't strapped down and it was just all surreal. I finally got the legs down, we secured him to the gurney, I sinched down the locks and away he was wisked to the E.R. with the rest of my 5 man team following. Once I was off the pad, I could finally take a breath and take in what I had just went through. My other Navy volunteers said that it was really quickly executed, but I couldn't believe it. I felt like I could do 100 stretcher off-loads after I got the first one out of the way. I stood in the E.R. with my other Navy friend and we watched the perfectly executed dance that took place around that patient as he started to flat-line. The team performed expertly and were able to bring this man back from the brink of death. He was so lucky to have been brought to such an awesome place for the absolutely best in medicine this place could offer. I was proud of my team, but I was proud of myself for being able to handle my fear in such a stressful situation. I'm ready to go back and do it all again.
I finally got to do my dream the other day and that was to drive the ICV Stryker!! Oh man, what a complete rush!!! Picture if you will my little 5'4" ass behind the wheel of this beast flooring it and jumping over ruts and flying over the open space behind the PX that the Stryer team tests the broken strykers on before giving them back to the Army. Before it was my turn at the wheel, my adreneline was pumping and I started to shake at the anticipation for what I was about to do. It was fantastic!!
Well, my time is about up, so I will wrap this up. I hope everyone has a safe, fun-filled 4th of July and watch some fireworks for me. Unfortunately, the only 'fireworks' we will have over here might be a couple of controlled detonations. HA!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 07/07/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
Happy belated 4th!
Your blogs are always so intersting althought sometimes I think that perhaps as a Marine wife ignorance is bliss as to what goes on "over there". Thanks for all you do!
Post a Comment