Kandahar Kronicles- The Konclusion!

I am done!  Finished.  HOME!  It is so good to be home.  Driving up to our house and just taking a shower in our bathroom and sleeping in our own bed made me realize just how fortunate we are in our lives and to be living in the United States of America.  This experience has made me so much more appreciative of the blessings in my life.  I will not take them for granted.  I am glad I got the opportunity to serve our country while taking care of our wounded warriors.  Thank God for such brave men and women.  Thanks to my family for "holding down the homefront" during my absence as well.  It is wonderful to be with them again.  And thanks to everyone who helped them make during my deployment.  God bless America!

Begining the Journey Home

My time in Afghanistan is finally up. I feel I have contributed to the care of our wounded warriors, and hope I have, though my teaching and leadership, increased that capability for when I am gone. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, and have the utmost respect for those outside the wire that put their lives on the line every day.

I am on my long journey home, which is certainly not direct. I retired my running shoes (after 6 months) as well as my spin shoes (after 5 YEARS). They definitely served me well! My barracks looked rather spartan after I packed all my gear up. The first plane flight was, as is typical, not exactly "luxurious." It was nice finally turning in my weapon and "battle rattle." I was expecting nice hot, sunny weather in Kuwait, but it has actually been kind of dreary and rainy here. We did have a nice sunrise, though, over our tents that we were staying in. They also have a nice gym, a movie theater, and even a pool here at the base in Kuwait! Despite the dreary weather, I am trying to get at least a little "color" before I return to the t-shirts and shorts and flip flops of Phoenix.

I look forward to returning to "normalcy," while at the same time realizing that there are thousands of our service men and women still over in Afghanistan doing what they do every day. I look forward to the day when everyone returns home, as I am doing now.

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter weekend. It has been a good one for me. Good Friday started off with my awards ceremony and our last trauma team pictures. I had to put two in as a couple of the people were missing from the first.

I had my last P90X workouts and took my final "after" pictures. Over 2 years of P90X has made a big difference in my fitness. Doing "3 a days" has not hurt, either.

Thanks to Paul and the Flatley 5 for sending me my annual "It's Friday" MP3. It still brings tears to my eyes and is a great way to start Easter weekend.

Sunday finished up with my delicious breakfast of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and a chocolate bar dipped in Nutella! I had given up beer (easy here) and candy for Lent (harder but healthier:). I went to Mass, and got to see the re-make of "Footloose." Most in the audience were probably in diapers when the original came out.

I capped the day off with my third workout, with my friends the Easter "Spin" Bunnies! They made me wear the "Queen Bunny" ears during the 90 minute class. Needless to say, I was exhausted after the class and slept well.

I look forward to returning to my family and "civilian" life in the next couple of weeks.

My 3 "Home's Away from Home"

Between the hospital, the barracks, and the NATO Gym, I spent more than 90% of my time on KAF or Kandahar Airfield during my deployment (and my time was split almost equally between them;)! As you can see in the one picture, the NATO GYM was not exactly too far from my barracks (about 10 yards). The remainder of my time was spent at the DFAC (dining facility), MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation), and Boardwalk, or walking between all of them. This all took place in less than a square mile. Kind of strange to spend over 6 months in a one square mile radius. It will be nice to get back home into the wide open spaces of Arizona and life/freedom in the US in general. We really take those kind of things for granted back home. Hopefully, I will no longer do so...

My Last ER/Trauma Dept Meeting

I am really becoming a short-timer now. I had my last ER/Trauma Dept meeting this week. My awesome crew gave me a cake and a present. The present, of course, was a workout shirt. Imagine that. Even though they have been here only a month, they obviously know me too well:)!

I thought I was done with clinical medicine already, however, fate had other plans for me. As multiple casualties were coming in, all the primary trauma teams as well as the "ad hoc" trauma teams that I led came in to take care of the wounded. It reminded us all why we are really here. An important but somber mission to be certain.

On a lighter note, one of the docs received a "tennis court/set" in a box from an unknown source. So, the trauma team du jour set it up and proceeded to play a couple of sets. American ingenuity never ceases to amaze me!

Where's the Justice? aka "Life's Not Fair"

Although I was very honored and excited to meet Admiral Debbink (the highest ranking Navy Reservist) during his visit, I must admit I was a little jealous of my brother Ben's newest acquaintance! With all due respect to the Admiral, I think even he would admit that my brother and his dental school classmate, Dimitri, got the better deal!

A Shout Out To My Nephews- Colin & Cameron!

I hope you never have to lifeguard at a pool such as this! Since it has been warming up and the wind has been blowing, the "sweet smell of poo pond in the morning" has been wafting to my nostrils. So, I figured I would finally brave the trek to go check out the infamous Kandahar "POO POND" and take some pictures. The closer I got, the more intense the stench, until it became almost overpowering as I reached the edge. I had to get upwind to take some pictures, then quickly return (can you say "speed walk") back to the barracks!

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone back home! No, the first picture is NOT from Afghanistan. It is, however, one of my favorite St. Paddy's Day pics that you might recognize from my Okinawa blog. It was a retired Marine Sgt playing the bagpipes at a bar in Oki in 2010!

We did have a party, which included O'Doul's (of course) and corned beef and cabbage. It also included Karaoke (not the same with N/A beer) and "bling." We even had green fortune cookies. One of the ward nurses that works with Chris and Judy Hanhila back in Bremerton is in the picture with all her "bling" on. The party was, as usual, in the ambulance bay outside the ER. Strangely, though, no patients came in during the party (at least not while I was there). I did have to leave early, though, to make it to my second spin classs of the day.........;)

NAVY SPIN TEAM IN AFGHANISTAN

Even in Afghanistan, we have great spin classes. In fact, today, for the class that was to begin at 7pm, the sign up was full by 0510 (that is 5:10 am for you non-military people!), just 10 minutes after they allowed people to begin signing up. The class was led by Annalei, who refers to herself as the "sweet Swede." She is anything but when it comes to spin classes. She does make it fun, though, so the 60 minutes passes quickly. I will actually miss the spin classes here (especially being able to do "two-a-days"), but I am looking forward to returning to my spin classes at the Village (also my swimming, which I dearly miss). It is getting closer every day, and I hope to be home before Benjamin finishes his first year at the UofA and final exams.

See you all soon!

NEW ARRIVALS

Out with the old, in with the new! It has been a while since I have posted any new pictures as it has been very hectic training all the new people who replaced the old rotation. I am one of the few left now from the "old rotation."

It has been fun, though, seeing the growth in capabilities in the new arrivals. From corpsmen, to nurses, to doctors- the transition is exciting to see. It is rewarding to me, and one of my goals before I leave, to make sure that the transition for the new arrivals is smooth and the new teams are well trained. I have been doing daily training with the corpsmen and some of the nurses for the last two weeks.

Before he left, my LPO (Lead Petty Officer), HM1 Sauer, a fellow Reservist and fireman from NC assisted in training some new corpsmen in the Trauma Bay. Also, despite a winter lull, the pace has picked up again, unfortunately, and we had our first multiple casualty event the first week after our new people arrived. Even after five months here, it never ceases to amaze me the teamwork demonstrated during such times, and the truly incredible care that is given to our wounded warriors!

"REAL" Maritime Navy in Kandahar

Everyone calls us "dirt sailors," but last week we became a "real" maritime force here in Kandahar. Due to the heavy rains, we developed Boardwalk Lake in the middle of the base. I was sad not to see a couple of boats floating on the water. This morning, we would have needed an icebreaker ship to make it through some of the edges.

We also had a nice Mardi Gras party to celebrate the end of the tour for many of our members. Jeff Cook (another ER doc who just got here) and I "dressed up" for the occasion. I obviously worked harder at getting beads than he did! I will miss many of the people here that I have grown to know and worked so hard with saving lives here. They will always hold a special place in my memories. Unfortunately (and fortunately:), all deployments must come to an end, and their end is now. Mine is soon..........

"Team Butler" Comes to an End:(

"Team Butler" is what we call ourselves. For the last four months, every 4th day, we have worked, eaten, and slept together. We have been called in as a team for multiple casualty events. We have saved lives, and watched helplessly as people died. We have laughed and joked, and shared stories of our lives and families. We have gone to receive our mail together, and have shared our "bounty." We have learned from each other and taught each other. I have taken something away from being a small part of each of their lives, if only for a moment. I will miss them all, and wish them the best. To Phil, Drew, Sean, and Will: I wish you all hapiness and success in your lives. Thank you for all that you have given me. Fair winds and following seas....

To start our call days off "right," we would play a song called "Boom Box." I believe it is one of the SNL parody songs. I always called it "Boiled Goose," after a line in the song. It always seemed if we forgot to play it, everything would go to hell. When we played it right off, we knew it would be a good day.

Ben (Lucius my brother, not Benjamin), I believe HM1 Dave Sauer (our Lead Petty Officer and an "honorary" member of Team Butler) could give you a run for your money with his "white man's overbite" and dancing ability during one our morning episodes of "Boom Box!"

SUPERBOWL MONDAY- An Overseas Military Tradition!

Superbowl Monday. Sounds weird, I know. But when you are overseas, that is the norm (because we are living in YOUR future!). So, when we were drinking beer (ok, NA beer but still beer), eating snacks, and then chowing down on pancakes and coffee to go with our beer it seemed almost normal on a Monday morning. The Superbowl began at 0400 local time, so many of us packed into the conference room with AFN (Armed Forces Network) on cable and a big screen TV. Well, I did not exactly get there at 0400, but was present for the second half. Our MWR (moral welfare and recreation) committee did a fabulous job as you can see in the picture decorating the room like a football stadium, complete with "fans in the stands" wallpaper! It was a lot of fun, and turned out to be a great game (for all but the Patriot fans). There is something weird about starting a 24 hour trauma shift with a beer in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other!

I was still in the mood for sports and beer so after the game ended, one of the other ER docs and I went outside to the "driving range" adjacent to our ambulance bay and drove a few "downrange." Gotta love American ingenuity to bring just a little slice of home overseas to the combat hospital in AFG!

Groundhog Day: The "Real" One

So.....Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow? Bastard! Who gave him the glasses anyway???

Analogous to 6 more weeks of winter back home, I am also stuck in my own "groundhog day" here in Afghanistan for 6 more weeks or so. And it has been gloomy, wet, and cold weather here lately.

However, I am planning on bringing some Arizona sunshine to my experience here and am looking forward to working on making the transition to a new rotation of trauma teams a positive one. I will be busy helping with orientation, teaching, and training up the new group. It should be challenging yet fun.

I was, once again, amazed at the recent teamwork in the trauma bay here in Kandahar at the Role 3 hospital. The week prior to our MASCAL Drill, we had 2 "real" multi casualty events that everyone pulled together for and performed flawlessly. So, when the drill came up, it was a piece of cake for us. "Just another day at work doing what we always do" is what the Chief of Trauma said at the beginning of the drill. "Tru dat" as Morgan would say! We had one of our "dead" moulaged victims want to come in and see the drill so we chanted "Dead Man Walking" as he came through. I guess my trauma team figured we are so good we can "raise the dead" as we brought him into our bay. Our last picture as a group (the trauma teams) ended in plates of shaving cream being smashed in a few faces. Not as tasty as whipped cream, though. Fun times!

It's raining, it's snowing, the old man is..... Oh, wrong lyrics!

In any case, it has been both raining AND snowing the last couple of days. And miserably cold and dreary. Boy do I long for the warm sunshine of Phoenix! I will get home just in time to really start enjoying those 100+ degree days!

Made for a relatively quiet day on call for me, though. A nice change after being busy the last few days, including taking care of multiple casualties from the recent VBIED or "vehicle-born improvised explosive device" outside of our base that was reported on the news. Luckily, we did not have to take care of any seriously wounded US soldiers from that blast. It was amazing though, to see everyone gathered again all geared up for multiple casualties. The teamwork here is truly awe-inspiring. I wish our ER's back home could have that kind of "single-mindedness" that we experience here when multiple casualties are inbound.

I'm A "Clydesdale" Now: The Pull Up Competition

Despite my high hopes of winning my category (the "Clydesdale's" were 40 and over), it was not meant to be. Even my 6 hours of daily workouts could not put me "over the top." Although in my defense, the ones that beat me were all younger than me:)! OK, only by a year or two. I will admit there were some "stealth" pull up champions amongst my ranks that surprised me. I am in the gym all the time and I never see them doing pull ups. Maybe they have a chin up bar in their barracks??

The day was truly made complete (and hilarious), however, watching the Slovak champion perform. Picture in your mind the opening scene of "Troy." Agamemnon challenges the Thessalonian General to fight in "the old way," with each army's champion. When the Thessalonian calls "BOAGRIUS" and this giant of a man walks out. That is what it was like watching the Slovaks call for their champion, who walked up on the stage to the chin up bar, and removed his sweatsuit, revealing a 28 inch waist, a 48 inch chest, and at least 18 inch "guns." I was waiting for them to yell "BOAGRIUS" but it never happened. What did happen was he proceeded to casually do 40 pull ups using perfect form. AMAZING! I thought "thank God he wasn't a Clydesdale:)." NOTE: The Slovaks are known for their fanaticism in the gym, usually putting even my workouts to shame! Eventually, however, just like in TROY, "Boagrius" the Slovak was "slain" by my Corpsman Sean, who proceed to do 41 pull ups! In addition we raised over $500 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

In the end, I decided I must have lost due to a serious lack of working out, so I upped my workout to 8 1/2 hours that day;). Maybe next time..........

Deja Vu

I thought I was back home at Fashion Square in Scottsdale, or perhaps a Bistro in Arcadia or the Biltmore! From the outside, the new Downtown Deli and Shop looks not much different than any other shop at the Boardwalk, only newer. With the blast shields out front and the tin roof and all. However, step inside, and you would swear you were at Fashion Square in Scottdale. The hardwood floors, the upscale electronics section, including Bose headphones for only $399! Or the selection of North Face clothing that would rival an REI. After a shopping spree upstairs, you can enjoy a nice croissant or quiche at the Bistro downstairs, just like at the Biltmore! Except you are in line behind a well armed Marine, sporting a nice M4 with the grenade launcher on it! You probably won't find THAT at the Biltmore. It was quite interesting, though, to experience such a place as Downtown in such a place as this. It almost makes you forget you are in a warzone. Almost......

"Down Time"

Thankfully, this winter has been somewhat slow so far for the ER. That is a great thing for the men and women of our military that we serve! It has also allowed for some time pursuing other interests, especially while on duty for 24 hours straight in the trauma ED. I have already explained in other blogs my manic workout addiction while not at work. Here are some examples of us using our time while at work during "down time."

Lieutenant Z helps to train our corpsmen, showing them the finer points of using the McGrath fiberoptic laryngoscope, used to help make it easier to place a breathing tube down a patient's throat (trachea). You can also see that my corpsmen Sean and Wil are musically-inclined, playing their guitars and singing one day. It ended up being like "Life in the ER- American Idol Style." Finally, my trauma team occasionally gets to attempt to watch a movie. I say "attempt," as 90% of the time when we do that we invariably get a patient. So, it is safer for our service men and women when we don't have "movie nights."

Leadership must have heard about my workout mania and figured I had "too much time on my hands" (like the song by STYX for those over 35 out there), so they made me the Department Head of the ER, at least for the next few months. I will have the opportunity to help train up some new staff coming on board. It will actually be a very good experience that I am looking forward to. I have made the decision that my workouts must not suffer, so I may not get quite as much reading in and/or sleep over the upcoming months:) One MUST have priorities!