My Niece Reports In From Her New Years Experience In Afghanistan

My New Year started at 0600 when a CPL woke me up by shining a flashlight in my eyeballs and saying, “Ma’am…wake up…we have a patient in the STP (shock trauma platoon).  They’re asking for you.”  I jumped out of bed, threw on my boots and a fleece jacket and jogged the three steps into the STP.  All they really needed from me was access to the narcotics, but I stayed awake and helped take care of the Marine who just needed some pain meds, some fluids and a little TLC. 

 

At 0900 the wardroom made a big New Years Brunch for our enlisted staff.  The pancakes were a hit.  After all the corpsmen had had their fill, I put two steaming pancakes on my plate, drizzled REAL Vermont maple syrup over them (not as good as NH maple, but better than log cabin) and was about to take my first bite when one of the guys from DUSTOFF (the Army medevac crew next door) popped in the STP and said they had a mission and did I want to come.  I promptly dropped my fork, grabbed my flak, Kevlar and flight bag and sprinted for the bird.  We flew over and picked up the Marine (who was relatively stable, luckily) and flew him to the hospital at Bastion.  The doc in the ED was surprised to be receiving report from me, as I had been working in the ED with him just a week ago.  He said, “Is this our little Kim? You look combat-ready with a weapon and everything.”  I gave a quick report and headed back to the bird.   

 

No one shot at us or anything crazy like that and the pilots are good at what they do so it was a smooth ride.  My flight gear is staged and I’m semper paratus for another one.  What an exciting start to the New Year! 

 

Hope everyone is getting their rest after a fun New Year’s Eve.  I’m off to debrief with DUSTOFF and get a workout in before shower time.

 

The Camp Bastion field hospital in Afghanistan HERE.