Letter 11

February 19, 2009

Letter 11
Balad, Iraq

Hope this letter finds everybody doing well. Sorry that I have been slow in getting this out, but I have been swamped with teaching and working in the clinic with limited medical providers. I am happy to report that there have been no major attacks since my last letter. We have had some, but they have been isolated and not that close. I have been busy living ground hog day over and over as it seems everyday is the same. I am really looking forward to going home and seeing my family…and getting back to just one job.

The only major drama is that we still do not know what combat patch to wear on our uniforms. There has also been some drama with our current company commander, but we will get everything worked out. Anyway, I am finally going to be able to show you our clinic and a few pictures from the ER. First, here is the outside of our clinic; the proportions are a bit off as the picture is from a wide-angle camera.

The sick call sign is for our military sick call. We are actually open 24 hours a day, but we try to get routine items done during that time. We also hold a sick all in the afternoon for civilians, contractors and third-country nationals (TCNs). Our housing is to the right and it is “sealed in” by the T-walls which are mortar and rocket resistant to make our living area one big bunker. The painted T-wall in the middle of the picture is to protect the entrance of the clinic against rockets and mortars, and is in honor of a soldier that was killed a few years ago in an indirect fire attack. Below is a view of one of our three treatment areas.

This room is the main “emergency” room. The “bed” in front is a stretcher for our ambulances. We do have a fully stocked crash cart and can handle most emergencies on-site. The clinic is mostly similar to a Med-check or an outpatient family doctor’s office, however in the past two weeks; I have seen some pretty significant illness. I helped diagnose pancreatic cancer with acute ascites, diverticulitis with an acute rupture, pituitary dysfunction, and of course a 1,000 colds. We do get a lot of bone injuries and minor lacerations…but you can tell that it is busy and varied. It is interesting that we see everything that happens to people on a normal basis…then mix in the combat zone and everything that goes with it and the combination makes for some interesting medical cases. Down the hall to the left leads to the pharmacy, our portable x-ray machine, the waiting room and the main desk. Below is where we keep all our supplies

The cabinet that is in the middle of the picture is actually a chest that all you have to do is tip it backwards, put a lid on it and it can be moved quickly. We are actually stocked pretty well. It is hard to keep things well organized as we see at least 50 people a day and over 150 on our busy days. Below is a picture of some of the ER beds at the Air Force Hospital.

The ER here is as nice as the ERs back at home…they have “real beds”. I like the quilts on the beds to try to make it more comfortable. The difference is that this building was built to be a hospital. Our building was some Iraqi building that we converted. I have included a surgery suite below. The patient is an Iraqi. Look at the excellent care that is being given! This is what our military is doing here…we are making a difference, even if it is one person at a time.

The equipment is state of the art, and it is one of the reasons why the survival rate is so high from serious injuries. The sub-specialists here have been great to us in referring patients.

I am going to switch gears and show you a few pictures from around the base. The first is for my dad, who is a Vietnam Veteran, and I am so proud of his service. I just wish that our country treated them better. If you see a Vietnam Vet, make sure to take the time to thank them for their service and welcome them home!

This is a Chinook helicopter and is what my dad served on in Vietnam. They serve a variety if roles. They are primarily a transport craft either for equipment or for personnel. When they are somewhat close to the ground they open the back hatch where a 50cal gun (or other weapons system) is manned.

The picture below is taken by the mosque on our base. The mosque itself is “off-limits” to all US soldiers, but not to the birds! I will show a regular picture of it in another letter.

This picture reminds me of “Baghdad Bob” during the first few weeks of the invasion. “There are no Americans in Baghdad”. The Helicopter is an Apache gunship. They are pretty lethal craft and are amazingly quiet. Keeping with the helicopters, here is a MEDIVAC Blackhawk flying over us to the hospital. They are coming and going all the time and at all hours.

If you have not noticed, the Army names it helicopters after American Indians (Chinook, Blackhawk, Apache, there are also Kiawa and others). The helicopters tend to fly in pairs for security reasons; they also fly dark at night, until they get over our base. Then they light up their spot-lights. It is to help them find the landing area, but also I have been told from our C-RAM guys that the air-defense likes to automatically “ping” them (which they hate) and they like to make sure that the C-RAMS know they are “friendly.”

The final picture is for my PA students. We are fairly close to the runway, and the F-16s are a bit obnoxious with the noise.


The fighters use their afterburners (seen above) to gain altitude quickly. It tends to create a sound “shockwave”. They seem to like to take off while I am lecturing which I can only assume is pretty loud for the students. I will show more of our base in future letters. I wanted to give some shout outs.

First, Terry Rankin…thanks for taking care of my son, Kolbe. Terry helped my son build is soapbox derby car for boy scouts. This is the type of stuff that makes it hard to serve overseas. It is the missed memories, but if I am not here, somebody else will have to be. Either way, I am blessed to have people in my life that I know are watching out for my family. Second, I have failed to acknowledge my parents. They have always been there for me, and have set my moral and value system that has enabled me to be the person I am today. They instilled the sense of service especially for something bigger than me. I am proud of my service, even through the hard times. Third, I must always acknowledge my wife, who is the strongest women I know, and is “surviving” my deployment. This goes to all the spouses of veterans…”They also serve”. Finally, I wanted to share a story that was sent to me by a good friend of mine, Matt Wright (US Marine) who served in Iraq. It is very, very moving and it goes along with my comments above regarding our Vietnam Vets.


“I encourage you all to check out this website:https://bumail.butler.edu/owa/redir.aspx?C=9c52c657856f48a0b31003ae3be61fe4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.roskamdogtag.comIt is the story of a woman and her husband who found 37 dog tags for sale in a Saigon (Vietnam) market, in 2000. They bought them for $20 and returned them to their rightful owners, or their families. There is a 40 minute video documentary their journey. I'm not entirely sure why this struck such a cord with me. Maybe the connection to my Uncles Larry and Lannie, having been in Vietnam. Or maybe a more personal cord of seeing myself and my friends in the stories of these guys. Either way...it is an impressive story. And they didn't HAVE to do this.

If you don't have time to watch the video, at least take the time to read the story. They have a nice website that documents all 37 of the men, what happened to them and how they went about returning their dog tags.

I'd also encourage you to thank a Viet Nam vet next time you see one. They didn't hear it enough, although (at least with my generation) Americans have seemed to try to correct that. Even if you don't, and all you do is read the story, at least you'll be another person that remembers what they sacrificed for all of us. And maybe, that's enough. I dunno...and I'm not going to sit around and philosophize if it is or isn't.Just remember that you woke up today in a country that allows everyone equal opportunity to succeed.
To be successful on their own merits.
To say whatever they want.
To elect their leaders.
To become President...literally anybody.”

Thank you Matt! I need to end this letter. So I must close with my message to anyone reading this. NEVER FORGET what our soldiers [sailors, airman, marines] are doing for our freedoms overseas. Please NEVER FORGET our soldiers and their families. NEVER FORGET that we have the fortune of living in the greatest nation and even when times are tough for us it is not nearly as bad as the rest of the World. I miss you all and look forward to the day that I get to see all of you again. Please continue to send your thoughts and prayers for all the soldiers and their families.

Major Mike Roscoe