Blah. That is exactly how I have been feeling lately. We have passed the half-way point on this deployment and now it's pretty much all downhill from here. I'm getting ready to go on R&R and see someone who means a great deal to me and I am very excited about that. However, the day-to-day boredom is overshadowing the excitement of even that small ounce of hope for a break in the routine. Blah. I go to the pool and it's too damn hot to enjoy that. I go work-out and you are pouring sweat before you even start your work-out. It's too hot to walk anywhere. It's too hot to eat. So, the only alternative is to buy snacks in the PX and eat in your room. I'm sick of seeing AFN commercials! Oh what I wouldn't give to see just one McDonald's commercial or a Wal-Mart commercial and I LOATHE Wal-Mart! A fountain drink from a drive-thru would be totally awesome right about now. A Super-Sized one with lots of ice and a straw. Ahhh, the little things I miss about home. The care packages have slowed down. I know we are not forgotten over here, but after time people just go on with their lives and you become something to think about only every so often instead of every minute. Blah. I go to the PX in hopes that maybe something new has arrived worth giving a second glance. No luck. We did get a cell phone shop on base and I couldn't believe that myself and another female were completely disrespected because we are women. Oh hell no! Not on an AMERICAN military base. I don't give a damn if that's how they treat the women in their culture, that's NOT how we treat ours and I'll be damned if they are going to do that on my base where I'm the one supporting their paycheck! A little trip to see the manager did the trick. HA!! The look on those men's faces as they were being called out in front of their male peers by two chicks was priceless. I won't be treated like that by people that we are over here to "liberate"!
Oh well, I digress. All of this has created a nice little package of BLAH that has been wrapped up and tied with a nice little bow and presented to me ever so kindly. Thanks, but this gift you can keep 'cause I don't like your gift! Blah.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
What to do to make the time go by....
Well here I sit on the 4th of July in Balad, Iraq. I never in a million years would have thought at this time last year that one year later I would be here. Tonight, my unit is having a pool party cook-out that is not "mandatory" but you better be there. I like to call that "mandatory family fun". HAHA!!
Hey you will never guess but we had yet another dust storm! Ha! Who would have thought such a thing. Can you hear the condisention in my tone??!! Anyway....been pretty much the same crap up here. With the exception of finally working the heli pad at the hospital and taking off a wounded local with a gunshot wound to the head. I was scared to death when I heard what was coming off the helo and I had no clue what I was about to see. I was told I would be the "driver" which means I would be the one to drive the gurney out the the helo following the strong arms and the helpers. We get to the helo..at night...the wind whipping my freaking hair all over the place...the pilots wouldn't move for me to get the gurney close enough to the door. I was freaking out. I couldn't get the legs of the gurney down fast enough and before I knew it the strong arms had the stretcher out and was about to place it on the gurney and I was yelling at them to hold on so I could secure the legs. I swear it seemed like it was all going in slow motion. The patient was sitting up which threw off the center of balance, he wasn't strapped down and it was just all surreal. I finally got the legs down, we secured him to the gurney, I sinched down the locks and away he was wisked to the E.R. with the rest of my 5 man team following. Once I was off the pad, I could finally take a breath and take in what I had just went through. My other Navy volunteers said that it was really quickly executed, but I couldn't believe it. I felt like I could do 100 stretcher off-loads after I got the first one out of the way. I stood in the E.R. with my other Navy friend and we watched the perfectly executed dance that took place around that patient as he started to flat-line. The team performed expertly and were able to bring this man back from the brink of death. He was so lucky to have been brought to such an awesome place for the absolutely best in medicine this place could offer. I was proud of my team, but I was proud of myself for being able to handle my fear in such a stressful situation. I'm ready to go back and do it all again.
I finally got to do my dream the other day and that was to drive the ICV Stryker!! Oh man, what a complete rush!!! Picture if you will my little 5'4" ass behind the wheel of this beast flooring it and jumping over ruts and flying over the open space behind the PX that the Stryer team tests the broken strykers on before giving them back to the Army. Before it was my turn at the wheel, my adreneline was pumping and I started to shake at the anticipation for what I was about to do. It was fantastic!!
Well, my time is about up, so I will wrap this up. I hope everyone has a safe, fun-filled 4th of July and watch some fireworks for me. Unfortunately, the only 'fireworks' we will have over here might be a couple of controlled detonations. HA!!
Hey you will never guess but we had yet another dust storm! Ha! Who would have thought such a thing. Can you hear the condisention in my tone??!! Anyway....been pretty much the same crap up here. With the exception of finally working the heli pad at the hospital and taking off a wounded local with a gunshot wound to the head. I was scared to death when I heard what was coming off the helo and I had no clue what I was about to see. I was told I would be the "driver" which means I would be the one to drive the gurney out the the helo following the strong arms and the helpers. We get to the helo..at night...the wind whipping my freaking hair all over the place...the pilots wouldn't move for me to get the gurney close enough to the door. I was freaking out. I couldn't get the legs of the gurney down fast enough and before I knew it the strong arms had the stretcher out and was about to place it on the gurney and I was yelling at them to hold on so I could secure the legs. I swear it seemed like it was all going in slow motion. The patient was sitting up which threw off the center of balance, he wasn't strapped down and it was just all surreal. I finally got the legs down, we secured him to the gurney, I sinched down the locks and away he was wisked to the E.R. with the rest of my 5 man team following. Once I was off the pad, I could finally take a breath and take in what I had just went through. My other Navy volunteers said that it was really quickly executed, but I couldn't believe it. I felt like I could do 100 stretcher off-loads after I got the first one out of the way. I stood in the E.R. with my other Navy friend and we watched the perfectly executed dance that took place around that patient as he started to flat-line. The team performed expertly and were able to bring this man back from the brink of death. He was so lucky to have been brought to such an awesome place for the absolutely best in medicine this place could offer. I was proud of my team, but I was proud of myself for being able to handle my fear in such a stressful situation. I'm ready to go back and do it all again.
I finally got to do my dream the other day and that was to drive the ICV Stryker!! Oh man, what a complete rush!!! Picture if you will my little 5'4" ass behind the wheel of this beast flooring it and jumping over ruts and flying over the open space behind the PX that the Stryer team tests the broken strykers on before giving them back to the Army. Before it was my turn at the wheel, my adreneline was pumping and I started to shake at the anticipation for what I was about to do. It was fantastic!!
Well, my time is about up, so I will wrap this up. I hope everyone has a safe, fun-filled 4th of July and watch some fireworks for me. Unfortunately, the only 'fireworks' we will have over here might be a couple of controlled detonations. HA!!
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