235 Years of Army Medicine

Big system:

This year marks the 235th anniversary of Army Medicine, beginning with the Continental Congress establishing a hospital department on July 27, 1775. This rudimentary medical support system, initially staffed by contract physicians holding no military rank, grew into today’s Army Medical Department.

via STAND-TO! – 235 Years of Army Medicine: Bringing Value… Inspiring Trust, August 24, 2010.

Fatal illness won’t slow teen’s spirit

Inspired:

Though his muscles have long since deteriorated, relegating him to a motorized-power chair, his mind is

Nick Torrance

razor-sharp. He knows he’s been fighting an uphill battle all his life, just to live. It’s not easy.

“It’s OK to be in a wheelchair,” he said. “But every once in a while, I have a meltdown.”

How he doesn’t break down every day under the weight of his fate is beyond his father.

Rob Torrance, a stay-at-home dad by virtue of a job layoff last year, said children like Nick are more inspirational than any athlete, politician or celebrity

via Fatal illness won’t slow teen’s spirit | livingstondaily.com | Livingston Daily.

Hella good work and care from a guy that we nicknamed “Spicolli” in Korea.

Even military working dogs have their day

The most impressive aspect of the situation was the fact that Sgt. 1st Class Rudder was a labrador retriever trained as a specialized search dog, operating off of his leash up to 100 meters away from his handler, Staff Sgt. Rochan Turner. This dynamic duo has been working together for four-and-a-half years, placing them in countless situations similar to the one in Afghanistan.

via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System.

Blood on the FOB

DVIDS documents an emergency blood drive in Afghanistan:

The injuries put a large demand on the hospital’s supply of type-O blood and underscored the ongoing need. While most gunshot wounds require relatively small infusions, explosive blasts generally cause multiple injuries and put a larger strain on the blood bank. Baseer said that last week, a patient required 20 pints during treatment.

via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System.

Blood Analyzers bring faster treatment in Iraq

The Maysan Provincial Reconstruction Team with support from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, recently provided the Ministry of Health with six Beckman Coulter Auto Blood Analyzers.

via DVIDS – News – Blood Analyzers bring faster treatment in Maysan.

V thanks Donna

Two great Americans here:

Smith presented flags flown in Iraq

McGregor’s Donna Smith was honored recently when United States Army Captain Veronica Owens Jordan, 28, proudly presented her with two flags flown in Iraq.

Owens, who was a 2000 McGregor High School graduate, has served eight years in the Army in the 36th Sustainment

Brigade. She has served two tours of duty in Iraq, the first time for eight months and the second tour for 10 months. MGregor High School, I enrolled at New Mexico State University and joined the Army during my junior year,” Owens stated. “I was promoted to Captain in December.

I have served as a logistics officer and I plan to continue a career in the military in the National Guard.”

One of the plaques read: Let it be known that this Texas State Flag flew over the headquarters of the 36th Sustainment Brigade on COB Adder,Tallil, Iraq on Nov. 23, 2009 in honor of Donna Smith. In appreciation for your outstanding support to the troops of the 36th Sustainment Brigade, Task Force “Rawhide” during Operation Iraqi Freedom 09-11. It was signed by SM Elizabeth Shockley and Col. Sean A. Ryan. The second flag was fl own, also at Camp Adder four days later in honor of Donna Smith. Murphy McCardlel, Command Sergeant Major, and Marvin Johnson, LTC, LG Commanding signed this certificate.

Donna Smith and Army Captain Veronica Owens Jordan

Great, BLUNT Video here: Support Our Troops

“…support for the young men and women in uniform despite the mistakes of our politicians.” Dave Von Ebers:

VIDEO- Special BLUNT: Support Our Troops | The Political Carnival.

Sensing Traumatic Brain Injuries

I thought we already did this. Didn’t the 4th BDE, 4th ID deploy from Hood with some sort of sensor?

The Defense Department continues to put money toward trying to understand head injuries better and information technology is a big part of that. In its latest effort, the department awarded a $17 million to BAE Systems to place sensors in soldiers’ helmets to record the effects of an n explosion, like a roadside bomb.

via Sensing Traumatic Brain Injuries – What’s Brewin’.

Darpa’s Lab-Grown Blood Starts Pumping [or not]

IF anyone can do this it is DARPA, though I still doubt it.  Not yet.  The article is notable for the picture of the military blood banker at the ASBPC.’

The blood was produced using hematopoietic cells, derived from umbilical cord-blood units. It’s a trick that scientists have pulled off for years. The hard part is making quantities of red stuff that are large enough for military or medical utility. Currently, it takes Arteriocyte scientists three days to turn a single umbilical cord unit into 20 units of RBC-packed blood. The average soldier needs six units during trauma treatment

via Darpa’s Lab-Grown Blood Starts Pumping [Corrected] | Danger Room | Wired.com.

How was your Fourth of July this year?

How was your Fourth of July this year?

Mine was great.  The Fourth is my favorite holiday.  It is at a better time of year than most for me (I like the hot weather) and contains fewer of the commercial pressures that we’ve put on other holidays. There are no religious overtones one way or another and even FOX news hasn’t started a “War on the Fourth” campaign that I know of.

I like the patriotic music so much that I tape “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS to play back later and have to fit at least one 1812 Overture in there someplace.  I love watching fireworks but am satisfied to let others risk burning down apartment hedges and expensive telephone cables (not that I’d know anything about that).  This year I wasn’t even subjected to some singer trying to imitate a crack addicts’ warbling of the Star Spangled Banner.  Just sing it please, and let me hear those horns and drums.

This year I visited the Fort Hood Freedom Fest, even ran in the little 5K Run/Walk sponsored by the post.  It’s a great little carnival and celebration of the troops and family readiness groups that hawk drinks and ice cream.  They even had Captain America walking around the fairground. The marvelous First Cavalry Division Horse Detachment rode an impressive demo.  There was an impressive skateboarding demonstration including Jon Comer, an inspirational and talented skater who has a prosthetic leg.

I had a great cookout supper with old friends from my Army days.  I was able to brag about my daughter preparing to graduate from Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood and we laughed and admired motorcycles and tattoos.  We missed those separated by distance, like the great Shane in Iowa.  He used his GI Bill to get an education and is a manager in a factory, involved in his community, about to be married, and is living the story of America’s newest Greatest Generation.  We missed troop commanders, platoon leaders, and the squadron commander, training thousands of others in California and about the finest officer one could imagine.  We told stories of the greatest command sergeant major to ever exaggerate a story or shout “woo-hoo” as he ran to the sounds of the guns.  Any gun. Any where!

In a scene typical of probably too many military reunions we encouraged and listened to the youngest trooper at the table.  Blown up twice in the same day in January 2007, he struggles with Post Traumatic Stress and other injuries.  There was a sense of fatalism about him.  ”I think the VA is just trying to wait me out,” he said, holding his daughter from a marriage struggling with the changes that he’d undergone.  We’d each had our own experiences with the VA and they cover a wide range.  I’ve been extremely well treated by the VA and even the recommendations made that I was highly dubious about have proved to be true.  Tom’s now into his second year of waiting for an appeal to a case where the VA’s ratings disagreed with their own recommendations.  It’s ridiculous and shouldn’t happen in a modern system.  The same for my friend Adam, who has proved the worth of the Vocational Rehab program by attending the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and becoming immediately employable and highly praised.  But when he sought medical care covered under the program, the Corpus Christi VA clinic wouldn’t even in-process him properly.

Between the ribbing and the ribs, each of shared some part of our story with Ryan.  And he seemed to take a little heart.  I don’t know how his story will turn out. He has many struggles ahead, but I thought it was good that men decades older than him would share their stories and tears and medicine troubles to support and encourage him. And he seemed to listen and to lighten up just a bit. He proudly told me about his IAVA shirt and I was happy to tell them about the Padres game and the Miller HighLife promotion and the legislative trips and fixes planned.  In many ways, this small group hit so many of the notes that IAVA tries to play.

It’s been seven years for me since my Fourth was spent sleeping on a HMMWV hood and we were putting together our first hot meal in Iraq.  It’s not been seven since Leif Nott died in a hail of fire down the road from that HMMWV or Chris Cutchall was hit by an IED riding in an unarmored HMMWV.  For the nearly quarter million American troops spread around the world and not eating Adam and Addy’s chicken and banana pudding, it might have been a trying day.  But for me, it was a great Fourth of July and I am very grateful to everyone that made it possible.