Had to share some of these with you because I just like how they show the spirit of our guys and gals over there:
roger,
i just got the package with coffee mugs and snacks with misc items, in wednesdays mail. mail was not running yesterday and i have no clue if there is anything there yet today. thank you so much. PFC Rickman's stomach also thanks you as well. lolol.
as you may or may not know, Ramadan is right around the corner here in September. aside from all the hooplah about how things are all roses and daisies during this timeframe, i have better sense than to accept the politically correct standpoint of this holiday being peaceful. past experience has told me to not let my guard down. last night, i put together a "grab and go bag" and it now sits next to the door inside my room, should something "politically incorrect" decide to happen. lololol.
overall, we are doing well over here. it is insanely hot right now and as one might think, we are seeing more heat injuries than any other time of year. along with the occasional, "oops, i just accidentally drilled a hole through my thumb with an electric drill" type injury, it does keep us busy. i am learning a lot from many of the docs over here and there is a lot of trust in our relationship when it comes to procedures. i am now qualified under the doc's orders to administer anesthesia to patients and do minor surgical work without supervision.
i hope everything is going well for you guys stateside. please continue to pray for us as we go through one of the most difficult times of the year for being a soldier. respectfully yours, Dave
Roger,
Thank you very much for the email. We have been very busy here. I wanted you to know all that you sent us before came in very useful. I especially wanted to tell you we really put the electrolyte tablets you sent to great use( I wish I could go into detail but due to OPSEC I can not just know they were a God send).
Teddi
In the Middle of June, the Forward Surgical Team was sent out on a mission to provide Medical support to Camp S. Camp S is an Iraqi compound where the American Troops were staged while the American compound was being built. Expecting it to be a short term forward jump mission, no permanent facilities were set up on that camp. So all involved had to improvise the amenities. Rather then showers, buckets of water were used; as the same for washing laundry. Instead of a nice warm meal from the chow hall, there were nice Hot MRE’s. After spending a grueling 45 days at Camp Sparrowhawk the FST finally packed up and moved over to COP G. Immediately the improvements were noticed once the FST arrived. The amount of dust that blew around and coated everything had significantly been cut down due to the gravel that had been laid and the T-walls that were put in place. Laundry services are now available for drop off 24/7, with a 24-48 hour turn around. This means, no more washing laundry with a wash board and bucket. The upgrade was made from a bucket of water and a HESCO barrier to shower shacks and shower tents with running water. A major enhancement was the setting up of the DFAC (Dining Facility) Tent. Now warm chow is served for breakfast and dinner. A MWR tent also has been set up to include, several computers with internet and telephones. Most recently bunkers have been set in place. This provides a security blanket for some and shelter for all. So, clearly day by day improvements are being made to improve Morale and the Quality of Life for all soldiers at COP G, 4-1 CAV.
-Lindsey
