To clean up the activities of the past few days I will take this time to inform you of those things. Thursday was a glorious day. We once again hit the magical 122 mark on thermometer. That is the benchmark for us here. Its funny b/c when you are walking outside it feels like you are about as close to the sun as you can get on those days. I actually am hoping for some sand in the air b/c it seems to take the edge off the sun when its like that. To make matters worse some of our friendly neighbors in Basrah decided they wanted to shoot a rocket at us during the day. I know I make it sound glib but this one made a boom and a rattle. It shook the hospital. To tell you that I'm not scared is stupid but it seems that there is no rhyme or reason about this. It is not coordinated. Its obviously not accurate but the 2 before did not shake us. After it is over you kind of think wow I forgot where I was at for a bit. Its not like the miserable weather and surroundings don't remind you but the danger is low. What is interesting is that we have a camp wide speaker system that says incoming and get down. I really don't know how much time they have or if there is some dude sitting somewhere that has his hand on the mic ready at a moments notice to say something. Its not like these things are shot from a huge distance away. They think they set these up somewhere in the city on a timer and then run from them b/c they were getting creamed when they stood there and shot them. Something or someone would take them out. Therefore they set them on a timer and tuck their coward tails b/n their legs and go hide. The reference to the soldier on the mic is interesting b/c this is how it went. You are sitting there the siren goes off and he yells incoming and he just finishes then boom. Not even a second to tuck your butt under something. I am actually getting use to it and not as worked up as the first night i got here. Then we had the pleasure of sitting in one of those bunkers in the heat for about 45 minutes. Group bonding time. You have nothing to do but talk to each other. This is my recommendation to all of you that have offices out there. Build a bunker in the back of your office outside and do incoming bomb raid exercises. Make them all sit in there and talk to each other. I bet they will get along better. No meeting with an agenda just plain having to visit with each other. To the staff back in my office I want you to draw up a plan b/c I am going to make this happen. I won't have to go out there though b/c i have been through it all and don't need anymore experience. To the nursing staff at MLH, I am going to ask Mr. Neet to do this but he only has to make it about 5 foot tall b/c most of you are that short and don't need anymore room then that. I think it would be good for you all b/c if you got into one of those spats then we would just shove you all out there and then you wouldn't have anything else to do but talk.

I was excited this week b/c I got to do my 5th case while I was here. A soldier cut his hand on a fan blade of a vehicle that he was fixing. It cut his thumb down to the bone and we repaired tendon, nerve and ligament. I find it surreal to be here and fixing this guy. Everybody has confirmed that we have done more since I have been here then all of the ortho guys combined. I can't tell if its the black cloud but I actually feel very useful when this occurs. When I get activated I just want to work. Fix people. Not to sit around and watch tv and dink around. You would assume this b/c of my workaholic tendencies. This lead to even more great news. On clinic on Friday 2 people came in with a cyst on their hand and a bad tendonitis in their wrist so I scheduled them for surgery on Tuesday of next week. Its becoming just like home. I do a lot of my cases on Tuesday. They are even joking that I should just have a block time to operate now. I agree. When I'm done with those two it will be a total of 7. They have will done 56 total cases after those two in 11 months. These are all cases. General surgery and all. We are going to crank this place up and get people better. I laughed also b/c I was walking around and over at the huge dining hall and a soldier I was treating stopped and asked me a question. They people I was with said wow now it must feel like home. I said it getting to be like Walmart. I go in there and its awesome to see all the people I have gotten to take care of. I will be honest though. I am terrible with names. Its not like I don't care b/c if you haven't realized that isn't it at all. I usually remember the problem and can put it all together. If I remember your name its probably b/c you may have not been happy and that is what stays with me b/c it pisses me off when I don't make people better.

Today's topic is Major Anderson. She is a very nice and personable person from the great state of Washington that has lead the 915th FST through this year of deployment. If you forgot there home base is Ft. Lewis in Washington and they are activated reservists. They get activated for one year. She is an operating room nurse back at home. This is her.



Kathy is her first name but a lot of the group that have been here with her call her Mom b/c she acts and treats them like they are her kids. There are an enlisted medic, LPN, and surgical tech that are young guys in there 20's that are here. I would guess she is about 60 and has been a nurse for basically 40 years. She has been deployed once before for a year to Afghanistan. She is this groups senior officer and in charge of all of us. Here is a picture of us.



Maj Anderson does all the paperwork for this group. When you are nurse I think its 80 percent paperwork and 20% patient care. The nurses at home may at that it is at least 20% putting up with stupid doctors. That would mean they are working 120% which in my estimating is not even close. HE HE. If you all would relax then the 20% would be 0%. First thing in conflict resolution is always to blame the other person for the problem. Especially nurses in the operating room. It appears that all that goodwill I may have fostered earlier in the blogs is going away with today. As you can tell with this picture I haven't been around her enough to piss her off yet so she still has a smile on her face. I actually have a picture of her flying me the bird but felt like that KHAS may have to pull the blog if I put that on there. Maybe I can get clarification from Ms. Julie Tork on that. Its actually a very good picture and most of the people I work with would really appreciate it. The guy on the right is that goofy general surgeon. He is pissed b/c I have done more cases then him. He is really bored b/c he doesn't even have a clinic to run.

This next picture is a sticker she has stuck on the window of her CHU



Make the best better. Typical army talk. Also sounds like me b/c its not very good grammar. I think she embodies that though. She is a great or nurse and always is getting her stuff done. I will tell you this though. Before I left my scrub tech the Dragon told me I was going to get some Army nurse that wouldn't be pushed around and would be hard nosed and not take any crap. Well Diane you were exactly right. This lady embodies all the stuff you were telling me. Holy crap she scares me to death. She is in charge and you know it. She likes me compared to the people in Hastings b/c I don't say much and just do my job. I try to be real sweet and nice. Say please and thank you a lot. Its kind of sickening and makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. I know what you are all saying. Give her time she will be pissed at you like the rest of us.

The Major has a very great talent though.




She makes quilts. This is what gets her through this time. She had one of her sewing machines sent here from home and to pass the time she makes these. I have seen 3 of them and they are awesome. She does a great job. I got here and figured that out so I asked her to make some for my 3 boys at home. To give them and me something tangible to remember this by. The problem is as you figured out with packing day that they were putting these things all into a big metal box and sending it home. To keep her busy for another 4-6 weeks I told her I would pay for her to ship her sewing machine home if she would do it. She agreed and is working on them now. What a really nice lady with a big bark. Typical 20 year Army nurse.

The funny thing about Kathy is she was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. She doesn't really remember there b/c her family moved but she still has family around there that farms. Small world.

Thats the Major and our fearless leader.

Play Hard
Play Smart
Play Together