9 Days With The 909th in Afghanistan - Part I of III

Goofballs - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan
Photo By: LTC James

Well, here comes a barrage of pictures. The "Picture Of The Day" (PoD) series has been a great success, but it leaves me with too many unpublished good photos. I also liked the PoD because I didn't have to write too much. Its not always easy to come up with a big story when your busy doing what we're here to do. But there are some stories in the pipeline.

So how did I decide which pictures to use for this series and how did I decide on 9 days? Well, the 9 days came to me mainly because the first "true" day (13 MAY 2010) had a picture of new gravel being placed. I felt the new gravel photo was somehow allegorical to what we do here. I leave it to the reader to make your own interpretation.

The first picture above was from the 11th of May, but I really just wanted to slip it in because ya'll deserve to see that we do know how to goof around. Then, it also occurred to me that "9 days" and "909th" had a numerical ring to it. Finally, I grabbed photos through those days that seemed to me to tell the best story of what life is like for an FST in Afghanistan. Realize though, that other FSTs can be (and usually are) different depending on where they are located.

New gravel in FOB Shank

I am certain that it never crossed your mind that just walking around a FOB in Afghanistan may be challenging. Now, I don't want to compare this to what the troops have to endure as they pound out their patrols in the mountains of this country (there is no comparison). But let me tell you, placing big, round river rocks all over the ground may be great for keeping the mud at bay, but it is also great for making you look like you've downed a few too many beers while you try to make your way around the base (especially at night... remember, there are no street lights in a FOB). Well, last week they poured down a whole gob-load of actual gravel. Thank you baby Jesus!

Rehab - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan (blurred for patient privacy)

So, let me get on with our last 9 days. Day 1 - I am walking through "Charlie Town" (AKA the area of the 909th FST and the 173d Charlie Co BSB) and I stumbled on a fantastic sight. A young Afghan boy being helped by two physical therapists through his daily rehab. Not too long ago, he was shot in the head and arrived to our FST in a bit of trouble. Although the bullet did not penetrate his skull, he did have a skull fracture with bleeding and bruising of the brain, leaving him with severe weakness of the right side of his body. We are optimistic that he will have a full recovery. But think about this. We may be one of the only far-forward medical assets capable of delivering both physical and occupational therapy (Not including Combat Surgical Hospitals such as at Bagram). This is simply a huge resource that is not commonly available. I hope to write more about these folks. Who would ever have thought to put PT and OT out here? Well, there is a reason, but that's a story for another time.

Preventative Medicine Lecture - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

As the day progressed, I sat down for the afternoon lecture series. Again, an unusual offering at a location such as this. But the 909th has taken the lead to deliver CME accredited daily lectures, only interrupted when trauma hits. The 173d also participates in this lecture series, and on this day we learned a great deal about what it takes to prevent disease in and around FOB Shank.

Helicopter training - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

The next day, I rounded on my patients, then wondered over to the HLZ. Ooops.. I wandered into more training. Army Training Sir!. The 909th and TF Brawler air wing set up an entire morning for how to safely load and unload patients from the UH60 Blackhawks. We also learned a great deal about the aircraft itself and how the medics deal with getting patients out of the battlefield and to us safely.

OR - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

But as I moved out from training, I ran into our orthopedic surgeon doing what he does best. Here is another limited asset that can be difficult to come by. Orthopedic surgeons boost the level of care that we can provide at an FST. Sometimes, FSTs split in two. Its not an even split. One group will peel off with 2 general surgeons, while the other goes with a general surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon. This is not an uncommon scenario. But you have to deal with the simple truth that there is limited medical assets and a lot of work to get done.

Sunset - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Aghanistan

The day was great and the sunset provided for a perfect ending. We accomplished a lot and all our patients did well. Of course, that's what it's all about. We start and end everyday trying to figure out how to do our mission better.

Casualties - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

As day 3 begins, we are quickly reminded why we keep looking to improve. Casualties can arrive at a second's notice. They come by air medevac, or by ground. Sometimes they just show up in the favorite mode of transportation in Afghanistan (the Toyota Hilux pickup). They come, we triage, we resuscitate, and operate in necessary. Then we determine if there is a need to evacuate to a higher level of care, or if the patient can recover here.

Promotion - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

The fourth day allowed us to pay honor to our lieutenant being promoted to captain. It's a full ceremony. Not just a "here you go, dude". But a well performed military action.

Photo moment - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

The weather of the day made for some potentially good pictures. We tend to jump on top of anything around us (T-barriers and bunkers), to get a view over the tents. The weather is interesting, and somewhat predictable. The mornings begin with slightly cloudy skies and a dust haze which conceals the distant mountains like a veil. The skies clear by late morning and the haze attenuates somewhat. Occasionally, there are days where the haze dissipates completely. By the late afternoon, the wind begins to pick up. The clouds move into our valley. Sometimes it rains, other times the dust storms crash over like waves. Occasionally, we get both (like right now... I swear, both rain and dust! Its an interesting feeling, being inside a big tent that is shaking with some rather significant force, while you type on the computer). Then by late evening, the weather clears again, allowing for a spectacular view of the stars.

Travel - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan
Photo by: MAJ Fitzgibbon

On the 5th day I hung out at the rotary PAX terminal with Sam. Catching a helicopter ride in Afghanistan can be akin to hitchhiking. You almost have to stick your thumb out and hope some pilot stops and waves you on to his flying bus. That may be an exaggeration, but only slightly so. ... How does this picture tell our story? Well, sometimes there isn't a whole bunch to tell for any one particular day. Although there was a bit of activity on this day, this picture made it mostly because I like the way it turned out. 

To be continued..... Part II of II