9 Days With The 909th In Afghanistan - Part III of III

Alright, we're in our last 2 days of this series! I'm excited because doing these posts over an satellite internet connection is akin to being 5 years old and trying to talk to my 6 year old brother with two cans tied to each other with a string. It kind of worked..... I think.

173d Charlie Med Co. Medics - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

While we prepare for our dance inside the FST's ATLS tent, the medics prepare....ummmmm. chilax while waiting for the helicopters to arrive. Fortunately, the weather is a lot nicer than it was when we first arrived. You simply find a patch of shade (provided courtesy of a bunker) and plop down. 

Captains Of The Ship - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

Back inside... the reason its easy to do my job is because the people above do their job so well. The OIC or office-in-charge ensures that the teams are ready and have everything they need to do their job. I just come into work and get to act like Dr. Nick on the Simpsons (Hi everybody!). In all seriousness, we all do our part. But the team really does make my job easy.

ATLS At Work - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

Game on. At this point it's just like any big trauma center in the States. Except we're in a tent, without a CT scanner and limited to what we can carry if we had to break down and move. But, other than that it's exactly the same. The team descends on the patient. ABCs... calling out the injuries, assessing... deciding.. resuscitating...

ICU - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

All goes well. The patient enters the ICU .. Again, just like in the States... except for the tent :). We continue the critical care and make a disposition. This patient needs to move on to another location.

The Transporters - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

Now that the patient is stabilized and injuries identified, its time to move out. The medical transport team moves in to receive the report on the patient. Today, the Air Force PJs are taking the duty. I've mentioned the PJs in an early post. Remember, PJs are rescue specialists with medic training. These dudes will go anywhere and do anything to save a life. They are the premiere rescue team in the military.

Air Force PJ MH60 Lifts Off From Medical HLZ - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

This is the last time we usually see the patient. Most never return to us. They move on to Bagram, then possibly to Landstuhl, Germany, then possibly to the States. But occasionally they do return (as in the case of the Afghan boy in the first part of this series).

Gathering Outside ATLS Tent - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

The final day of our story begins not unlike the rest. Everyone here likes to call it "Groundhog Day". It's not like that for me. Every day still feels different and if really pressed, I know that the others feel the same. We are all volunteers here. That's the beauty of the American military. Sure, there's plenty of bitching, but that's part of being in the Army. But being in the medical corps is really different. We have the fortune of helping people. Its immensely satisfying.

173d Medics - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

So, here we are again. You've seen this picture (well not this exact one) a bunch of times before. But I hope to give you a little bit of something different with each one. A different medic. A different look. Different lighting. Different angles. I like walking out and taking pictures of these folks. At this point I'm a bit like Dian Fossey (remember "Gorillas in the Mist" circa 1988?). At first, they ran when they saw the camera. I had to slowly introduce myself into their environment. Now, I can take closer, wide angle shots instead of telephotos. The camera has become accepted into the clan. :)

ATLS - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

But soon, we put on our game face and the dance begins. People move in and out. Talking is at a minimum. Everyone has a job, small and large. Sometimes its like worker bees moving through the honey comb. There is a queen bee leading the activity (ok... I can already hear people calling me a queen :) ... So insert King bee at this point), but its mostly programmed through the training.

Airway - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

The airway is secure, and resuscitation is underway. FAST exam, Xrays, labs... the injuries are identified. Cordis, Belmont, traction... Forward momentum continues.

Documentation - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

Everything is recorded and tracked. The devil is in the details as they say and we make sure that we can go back and figure out what we did good and what we can improve. The information is eventually compiled and reviewed at a higher level for process improvement.

Return of The Transporters - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan

Our patient does well and prepares for a trip to receive further care. The helicopter medical team today are experts in handling critically ill patients on ventilatory support. They review the story, check and double check everything. The patient is ready for transport.

Weather System Moves In - FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan
Photo By: SPC Knight

From atop a bunker, a good vantage point is obtained to watch as the last helicopter moves out. The afternoon is here and so are the dust storms and the rain to follow. They lift off in gusty winds. The pilots work to make a steady launch. Once they're up and out of the ground effect, they're able to move out quickly to the north, away from the bad weather. Its a good day.

So that's 9 days with the 909th. .... Oh.. OK.. you may have caught me. It was really 10 days. But when I started to write this I thought I only had 9 days put together. Oh well, I'm just a doctor, not a mathematician. :)