Role 3 Hospital

My job in Kandahar is to be a “trauma team leader” (or TTL for short) in the ER. As a referral trauma center for a large part of Afghanistan (and for all of Afghanistan for some needed specialties), we are considered a “Role 3 Hospital.” We function like a Level I trauma center back home. However, since our priority is trauma, we get to turf almost all non-trauma illnesses to the urgent care. Patients with heart attacks and other serious illnesses still come to us, as well as POI (or point of injury) trauma patients and trauma transfers from other places. We get locals as well.

I knew it was going to be a great work environment when I got my first trauma and the translator shows up in an Arizona Wildcats T-shirt! What are the odds of that?? I don’t think he even has a clue where Arizona is, but I figured it still had to be a good sign. (I only showed the shirt as I did not want to show his face since the local nationals helping us are not exactly well thought of by the Taliban.)

The staff decided since were on for 24 hours and could not get to the DFAC for Taco Tuesday, then we would bring Taco Tuesday to us! When the XO started to bring a group through the ER on a tour, I quickly jumped up and pulled the curtain around our little “fiesta” going on.

I realize that my job will not be like this most of the time, but it certainly was a great welcome and a great way to start!

On to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

This flight was not quite like the flight to Kuwait. First of all, we were in full “battle rattle” (the term for our Kevlar helmets and Kevlar vest with ceramic plates). Next, as we walked up the plane’s rear end, I realized the accommodations were not quite “business class.” I was told to sit along the side as it was the most comfortable. Wow, if that is comfort, I can’t imagine what the center seats were like. Actually, I can and did as I was facing row after row of large men in helmets and Kevlar vests with backpacks and weapons squeeze into 5 middle seats with less leg room than a commercial airplane. My seat was basically web netting over a steel seat with a small pad for your head. After being up already for almost 20 hours, I tried in vain to sleep during the flight. No use. So I tried to read under the red lights on in the vast fuselage, also no use.

When we arrived in Kandahar, we were again blasted with hot dry air. I thought Kuwait was dusty, it was nothing like this. I was greeted by a Petty Officer assigned as a sponsor to me to get me through orientation. So while the rest of my group was languishing in the terminal, she quickly whisked me out to a waiting vehicle. The day was spent touring the hospital (right off the flight line), the NATO barracks (about a half mile away but 20 yards from the NATO gym!), and the various DFAC’s: Niagara (American), Luxemburg (or just the “Lux”- European), the Cambridge (British), and the Asian. Then she took me to the famous “Boardwalk.” I swear it is a weird combination of old Wild, Wild West and modern war. As I walked up the wooden steps onto the wooden boardwalk, I looked down at my M9 in the thigh holster which easily could have been an old Colt six-shooter slung low on my hip. As I walked around the boardwalk everyone was armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Shops lined the outside and a hockey rink (cement, not ice obviously), volleyball courts, basket ball courts/dodge ball courts, and a small soccer/cricket field. The shops and restaurants were just like Dodge City, except it was Green Beans Coffee and TGIF’s serving coffee and N/A beer instead of whiskey and real beer. Finally, my sponsor drove me by the infamous “poo pond” where all the sewage goes. At the edge sits a chair with “Life Guard on Doodie” painted on the back. Between the dust and the poo pond, I will definitely become a treadmiller instead of an outdoor runner here. I don’t know how much truth there is to it, but the rumor is that someone who ran all the time during their year-long deployment had a biopsy of their lung revealing 16% fecal matter! Don’t want to go to that extreme just to get VA benefits!

This is truly a multi-national and multi-cultural place. We are surrounded by various “camps” within the wire. The Brits, the Danish, the Slovaks, the French, the Germans, the Singporians (sp?), the Australians and more. The Canadians even have their own little “compound” with a Tony Horton’s (their version of Starbucks), a recreation center, a gym and a PX. Contractors abound as well as local nationals. The uniforms are interesting as well. The Aussies look like something out of a cartoon with their camouflage resembling PJ’s with brown and tan balloons on them and their rifles resemble something out of a Buck Roger’s episode. Actually, even our own new “in country” cammies look like comfortable green pajamas. The locals even put on a bazaar on Saturdays selling all sorts of local merchandise.

This should prove to be interesting!

KUWAIT

Landing in Kuwait at sunrise was an interesting site. The sunrise was beautiful but the scenery was a cross between the sandunes near Yuma and the last 20 miles to Rocky Point. The heat immediately blasted us at 0530 as we walked off the plane. After passing multiple security points, we finally arrived at Camp Virginia in Kuwait. I tried to picture 1 million US Marines, Army, and Air Force personnel, planes, tanks, and other vehicles massing here preparing to push north into Iraq back in 1990-91.

Our barracks consisted of a large tent, housing almost 20 commanders and lieutenant commanders in ours. The toilets were 50 yards away and had no lights. The showers were over 100 yards away through the dirt and sand, but they did actually have lights and hot water. The dining facility (or DFAC as they are called), was over a half a mile away through the fine sand. They did, however, have first-run (well, almost first-run) movies so I proceeded to see 5 movies over the next 3 days. They did have some other perks in Kuwait as well, such as O’douls served in the DFAC, a Starbucks, a McDonalds, and a Panda Express (there was no way in hell that I was trying a Panda Express out here!)

We had been up for 36 hours after the flight to Kuwait so most of us crashed the first day. The next 2 days consisted of paperwork, movies, reading, eating, sleeping, and travel plans. My group would fly straight to Kandahar.

As we piled in the bus to leave, I noticed the Chief Petty Officer sitting next to me in the front had a loaded clip of ammo for his M4 as he was our designated security. Between the full clip of ammo and him sternly telling our driver to “please put the cell phone down and do not touch it again” made it all too clear that we were now actually in a war zone and potentially dangerous area.

Flying to Kuwait in Military "Style"

After waiting all day in the USO for the buses to arrive (I was planted in a recliner for over 8 hours minus 30 minutes for dinner and potty breaks), we walked out to board the buses. To our surprise, a cadre of local bikers and police were lined up to escort us to the airport. Amazing! Then, upon our arrival at the airport hanger, we were greeted by over 100 locals and volunteers to wish us a safe trip. There were flags and volunteers and boyscouts and girlscouts giving away books, cookies, snacks, pizza, soda, coffee- incredible. Brought tears to my eyes as they created a long line to see us off to board the plane. Shaking our hands, wishing us a safe deployment, and offering hugs as we passed. I have never witnessed anything like it.

As we boarded the plane, I was glad to be an officer. We got to sit up in business class. It seemed like first class to me as the seats had individual entertainment systems and could recline fully. So much for FTA regulations and the TSA as we were all fully armed with our weapons.

A stop in Germany for refueling enabled us to enjoy our last beers for 8 months. We savored every drop and a few of the enlisted folks actually got quite hammered. People were singing on the plane when we boarded again and two of our more theatrical officers decided to play flight attendant and did our preflight brief before we took off. As we took off just after dusk, I watched the lush green fields of Frankfurt drop away and knew I would not see such lush foliage again for over 7 months.

WARRIOR TRAINING

I thought I checked the box “Navy Emergency Medicine Physician” but I must have accidentally checked the box “Army Infantry.” Uh oh! Oh well, I made the most of it as you can see from the pictures. Two words- BAD ASS! We continued training on weapons for over a week, and now I am an EXPERT marksman with the M9 (9mm pistol) and a SHARPSHOOTER with the M4 (the shortened version of the M16). I am also capable of firing the M246 as well as M240 machine guns as you can see. (what you can’t see is me kicking up dirt downrange trying to hit the targets with the M246!) We also learned basic convoy training, map reading, and IED recognition (OK, let’s be honest, if I am using any of these skills something has gone terribly wrong in this deployment).

After 19 days, we were done with the training. However, this is the military, so we waited an extra 2 ½ days for the transportation to Kuwait (and it is a chartered flight!!). With the extra time, some of us rented a car and got a hotel in Columbia to celebrate the Navy’s 236th birthday. We had a nice happy hour at the top of our hotel, watching a storm roll in and toasting the Navy. Afterwards, we found a bar that had over 100 beers on tap. Why it was named the Flying Saucer I have no idea. Then back to camp McCrady the next day to await our trip to Kuwait.

Training

Well, in less than 3 weeks I am being transformed from a civilian (well, almost a civilian) doctor into an Army soldier. Or at least that is the idea. Seems impossible but they can cram a lot of training into 12 hour days, 6 days a week. It helps by having a cadre of seasoned Army Drill Instructors teaching us, all of which are veterans of Iraq and/or Afghanistan. They are incredible in their knowledge and their ability to teach a bunch of non-infantry Navy members how to become soldiers.

The accomodations, as you can see from the picture, are less than luxurious:)! Also, as you can see, I am ready to "attack" my barracks as readily as "attack" the gym:)! 30lbs of kevlar and an 8lb helmet starts to wear on the back. And I am in shape! I am really impressed with our Marines and Army infantry who patrol day in and day out in the same gear in 120 degree heat in the summer in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now THAT is in shape. So much for P90X!

I have met many great people here, both reservists as well as active duty. They come from many different backgrounds- from small towns to large, from enlisted to Naval Academy graduates (including one in my barracks from Iowa!). Each one has a unique story to tell so I will often sit with someone new at the chow hall just to meet someone new and hear their story.

I am amazed every day at the degree of patriotism and national pride in the people I am surrounded by.

I will soon be heading out to Kandahar to do the job I signed up for nearly 3 years ago.

Brad