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An excerpt from an email from our friend in Iraq. (She's a pediatrician):
So, just writing to let you all know how things are going. I had my first
rides in both a Bradley and an Abrahms (these are tanks), as well as my
third ride on a Blackhawk. We are now working every other day. This means that we are on call essentially every other day (24 hours on, 24 hours off).
We have seen a bit of trauma. A couple of AIF folk with 2nd degree burns
(AIF is the Anti-Iraqi-Forces – or the “bad” guys). Also some people who
had been shot and had to go to surgery. We have an FST team here with us (Forward Surgical Team). So, I have been able to go in and see some surgery and practice intubations.
The living conditions are not that bad here. We are essentially two to a
“box” – a big aluminum box that fits two small beds, two aluminum lockers and whatever else we can cram in here. Our living areas are on the other side of the base from where we work, so when we are on, we have to stay down at the TMC. The gym is also over on the other side – so I have not really worked out that much since getting here. It has been somewhere between 3-4 weeks since moving here. Here is Tel Afar, it is just SW of Mosul.
The good thing is that the chow hall is on the other side of the base as
well, so I am not eating as much b/c I am to lazy to go to the chow hall. We will be moving yet again, this time it will only be to the other side of the base (closer to where everything is). They are in the process of building up this base – they are making a new MWR – which will house indoor basketball courts, racketball courts and a movie theatre (being that it is being built by the Army, it probably won’t get done until we are about to leave).
So, just writing to let you all know how things are going. I had my first
rides in both a Bradley and an Abrahms (these are tanks), as well as my
third ride on a Blackhawk. We are now working every other day. This means that we are on call essentially every other day (24 hours on, 24 hours off).
We have seen a bit of trauma. A couple of AIF folk with 2nd degree burns
(AIF is the Anti-Iraqi-Forces – or the “bad” guys). Also some people who
had been shot and had to go to surgery. We have an FST team here with us (Forward Surgical Team). So, I have been able to go in and see some surgery and practice intubations.
The living conditions are not that bad here. We are essentially two to a
“box” – a big aluminum box that fits two small beds, two aluminum lockers and whatever else we can cram in here. Our living areas are on the other side of the base from where we work, so when we are on, we have to stay down at the TMC. The gym is also over on the other side – so I have not really worked out that much since getting here. It has been somewhere between 3-4 weeks since moving here. Here is Tel Afar, it is just SW of Mosul.
The good thing is that the chow hall is on the other side of the base as
well, so I am not eating as much b/c I am to lazy to go to the chow hall. We will be moving yet again, this time it will only be to the other side of the base (closer to where everything is). They are in the process of building up this base – they are making a new MWR – which will house indoor basketball courts, racketball courts and a movie theatre (being that it is being built by the Army, it probably won’t get done until we are about to leave).