Not really sure what the title of this post should be but it's just random thoughts I've had. We had one patient who tried to kill himself because his wife was bragging about all her affairs. Not really sure if he'll make it. Today we had three Marines in the American bay. All three were bilateral above the knee amputees from IED explosions. It made me wonder how many Americans are now handicapped because of this war. Another admission was an ANA (good guy) and when he got to us, he was dead. His brain was so swollen you could see it on the side of his face. He passed in our unit and because he is Muslim there are certain things we have to do. It isn't like cleaning a body and then throwing it in a big plastic body bag. When a Muslim passes, we are to point their head toward Mecca. Only males and shroud males, and females shroud females. I was not able to provide end of life care to this patient because I am female. I thought it was interesting because while they are alive, I can bathe them without issue. There are other things we're supposed to do, not sure of all the details but I'll be finding out tomorrow.
I really wish my confidence would hurry and kick in. I was in the ER when these people came in and was helping. I felt more in the way.
I wish I could feel like it was Christmas but I feel so empty right now. I have never been away from my family, especially during the holidays. I feel so lonely but I am making some new friends. Jessica, my bunk mate is cool. She made my bed for me the first day and we chat a bit at night. She's funny, she never eats at the DFAC (who can blame her) and she's a little quirky but super nice.
Col McNeill is awesome, she is the kind of leader I aspire to be. She was with all of us cleaning the dorms last night at my first official GI party. There were no other Colonels present; says a lot doesn't it?
We got 50 new people in today so my room is at a capacity of 8 females; who the hell thought it was a good idea to house 8 women in a 10x10 room? Oh yes, 8 shower stalls and 8 toilets. It makes you want to laugh doesn't it.
I shared Tom's pre-deployment checklist with Col McNeill today and she just laughed. She said we definitely need to add to it because it is mostly all true. Funny how important that checklist is becoming. It's something that I can look at and laugh when I'm feeling frustrated and lonely.
Have I told you I love you today? Well I do!
ReplyDeleteI saw you commented on the "Pre-Deployment 101" checklist...adding the e-mail sent to you before you deployed.
I frequently hear you say you are "getting ready for deployment" by packing some of "this" or going in on your day off for "that"..it's all good, but the boys and I came up with a few things to help you REALLY PREPARE for deployment.
1. The family sleeps on cots in the garage till you deploy. 2. Put up curtains in the garage to separate our cots. 3. A few hours after you go to sleep we will whip open a curtain, shine a flashlight in your eyes and mumble "Sorry wrong bunk". Put yourself back to sleep by repeating "the next time I deploy". 4. Pack up all your shower stuff, and clothes as soon as your ready to take a shower then carry it with you around the block a time or two before heading to the shower. 5. Hang a translucent plastic sheet down the middle of the bathtub.maintain 4 inches of soapy cold water to stand in. Add unidentifiable floating things. 6. Shower with your flip flops on and turn the lights off. Remind yourself someone brought a stopwatch with them to the shower. Add piles of similar looking shower items to choose from when you get out.place on a handmade wooden bench. 7. Pick one of the boys to give you a haircut while the other throws cherry bombs off the roof (you will need to pick since they will both be fighting for the roof bomber position.this is good because the deployed person cutting your hair will have the same attitude). When the startled neighbors arrive tell them "it's all good, but I recommend you start building survivability bunkers". 8. Set your alarm to go off at various times during the night, jump out of bed as fast as you can, wake Kodi up for some random instructions, don't bother telling him to go back to sleep he will anyway, run around the block then go back to bed. 9. Replace the back door (this now becomes the primary door) with a canvas flap or handmade wooden door.add an oddly shaped piece of wood for a handle. Use the neighbor's fence slats. 10. Stop going in the garage door (remember this is the bedroom), and start trekking around in the yard over the rocks to get to the back door (remember there is easy access between the shrubs in the front yard now.Konner would recommend this route). 11. Keep a roll of toilet paper by your cot to take with you to the bathroom. Also take your flashlight and gun. Remember your red/blue filter.convince yourself it protects your night vision and no one can see you from afar. 12. Take a weekend vacation, go to one of our border towns, select a high crime area, set up a tent, wear your flak jacket, helmet, medical essentials (Scooby Doo Band-Aids and lidocaine spray.it kills the bugs), and announce to everyone that you are there to help them. 13. Start taking a pill (it's actually a tic-tac) every day and convince yourself it's for Malaria. 14. Go to the bathroom when you just have to pass gas."Just in Case".do it every time!
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ReplyDelete15. Announce to the family that the neighbor's dogs and cats are vectors for diseases, shoot all the neighbor's dogs and cats, then throw them in a burn pit you dug in another neighbors back yard (or use one of the empty graves in our front yard). I would select Brian and Janet's back yard since they don't go back there. 16. Use flavorful condiments to mask the taste of regurgitated looking food. Ask Jill to leave her lawn mower running to simulate the appropriate noise levels while eating in a tent in the back yard. Put a clearing barrel near the entrance. 16. Make up a day you got into the AOR (the day we started sleeping in the garage), because everyone wants to know and nobody cares. Realize they only asked because they are about to tell something from their vast deployment experience. mostly what they heard about prior to arriving a whopping 5 days before you. 16. Put a picture of you and the boys on the MRE boxes or handmade wooden boxes beside the cot, sprinkle it with sand before you go to bed, clean it off when you wake up..repeat daily.stop caring about things that are repetitive or duplicated. 17. Use 18 scoops of coffee per pot and allow it to sit 5 or 6 hours before drinking. 18. Invite 80 people over who you really don't like (try to limit this to 80) because of their strange hygiene habits to visit until you deploy, exchange clothes with them randomly. 19. Install
fluorescent lights under the coffee table and lie under it while you study for your GRE test. Remind yourself this is one of your goals.try not to think about the other one right now. 20. Ask Byron and Ashlee for some poison ivy leaves, rub them on your arms and legs.act like you have no idea what the odd red patches and bumps are suddenly appearing. Show the strangers visiting and ask them if this looks normal? Spray with lidocaine and apply Scooby Doo Band-Aids. 21. Write a note and leave it on your cot to meet yourself at the fitness tent in 10 minutes.talk to yourself about the idiots all around you both on the way there and while working out. Most of all..periodically laugh aloud then yell "GET BACK IN YOUR BUBBLE! Every time you come out, you ground pound and it's KILLING ME!" 22. Volunteer time at a local "Rock Shop". Ask our little rock lovers what they admire about the rocks. Carry a rock in your pocket.become ONE with rocks. 23. Place sandbags in the floorboard of you vehicle. Do not wash your vehicle. Wear a helmet and gasmask while driving. 24. Daily say "What the Hell was that?" Occasionally interchange "what" with "is". Ask the boys to find the snake that lives in the neighborhood and let it bite you. Don't ask again. 25. Read some government conspiracy theories. Read the definition of theory. Read the "Airman's Manual". Read the definition of mandatory. The rock can be used on conspiracy theorists. The same type of people that carry stop watches to the shower just watched you filling in the grave in the front yard. 26. Stop at local construction sites and use the port-o-potty. Note the cleanliness.forget something in there. 27. Look at the green bags under your cot. Just look.
v/r
//SIGNED//
Tommy L. Sanders, Lt Col, USAFR
Administrator, 44 AMDF