Day 185: Money

There's just something about the feeling of money in your hand let alone a stack of bills totaling 100,000! Well, 100,000 Afghani which is about 2000 US dollars. Today, I assisted Major Probus our "FOO" (Field Ordering Officer) in paying all the local contracting jobs on the base. Every month the "FOO" is allotted a set amount of money which can be used to purchase items, services, or improvements to the base, within certain parameters of course. It sounds like a fun job, but it is actually stressful and very time consuming. Anyways, my point in bringing up this experience is because it reminded me of how much time I have spent attempting to understand and manage money. I figure in strained economic times such as ours, a brief discussion about money would be timely.

I pity the FOO!

Back in college I was a very, very impulsive spender. I had 5 credit cards in my wallet, and I just had to have the video game systems, electronic gadgets, and name-brand clothes. I also figured that every month the only attention that my growing credit card debt deserved was the minimum payment. Several years later, I was sitting on 3000 dollars of frivolous credit card debt. Man, what happened?!?

That's when I realized how clueless I was when it came to the value of money. After staring at my Visa, Mastercard, and department store bills, I then made the conscious decision to fix it. I started financially decontaminating myself by first cutting my credit cards and turning my debt over to a debt management agency who lowered my interest rate. I put any extra money I had into paying off the credit card debt...a couple of years later I was credit debt free!

To make a potentially long blog story short, I started reading up on budgeting, investing, debt management, and financial planning. I subscribed to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Money Magazine, and started reading books such as "The Millionaire Next Door" and "Smart Couples Finish Rich." After reading dozens of books and magazines I started to find common themes for financial success which I've basically broken down into the simple list below.

1. Pay Yourself First! - The hardest thing about saving money is getting yourself to do it! We as consumer-driven Americans are horrible savers. The best way to get started is to have it automatically taken out of your paycheck. Start small then work to a goal of saving at least 10% of your pay.

2. Pay Off "Bad" Debt - When I refer to "bad" debt, I mean consumer debt such as credit card bills, car payments, or any debt in things that have no potential to increase in value or pay dividends in the future. "Good" debt would be education debt or mortgage payments.

3. Set aside an Emergency Fund - Losing a job is always a possibility - getting laid off or injured are all too common reasons for suddenly being unemployed. Saving 3-6 months of your current monthly debt is a great rule of thumb when deciding on the amount of money to place in your emergency fund. The fund should be easily accessible and should not be touched for any other reason than financial emergencies (health care bills, sudden car repairs...NOT for an emergent need to have a Playstation 3)

4. Maximize your 401K contributions up to your employer's match - find out what your employer matches and contribute, at a minimum, that amount. It's a no brainer...free money.

5. Maximize Roth IRA Contributions - read up on tax advantaged individual retirement accounts such as a ROTH IRA. A Roth account can consist of any combination of investments. The money placed in a Roth are "after tax dollars", in other words this money is from your net pay after Uncle Sam has taken his share. The great thing is that all the investment income and potential growth inside the Roth IRA will be able to withdrawn tax free! There are rules such as maximum contribution limits per year, and a minimum retirement age indicating when money can start be withdrawn.

6. Give Generously - Don't forget that the blessing of money is not just in the accumulating of it, but also in having the opportunity to give it away for the benefit of others.

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1 NKJV

Day 184: Tofu Delight

I didn't start out as an advocate of that wobbly block of soy protein we have come to know and love as tofu. Actually, I detested the concept of soy protein, and saw it as a miserable substitution for meat. Well, fast forward several years, add a vegetarian wife, and a maturation of taste buds and Voila!...a tolerance, actually, a sincere desire for tofu!!

On Guam, tofu was prevalent and I enjoyed a variety of tasty preparations from Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and even Chamorro cuisine. At home, Gemma was a virtuoso at preparing tantalizing dishes with tofu as the star attraction.

Unfortunately, the military won't touch meat substitutes, such as tofu, with a ten-foot pole. Apparently, it's a morale thing or so I've been told...happy soldiers eat real steak and real beef cheeseburgers. Without meat, the battle is lost...or at least the illusion exists that meat is the key to happy healthy soldiers.


Well, to throw a monkey wrench into the daily routine of hot dogs, ribs, burgers, and steak, I opened a care package from Gemma which had 2 boxes of extra firm tofu, the only problem was convincing the contract chefs to put a dish together for me.


Fortunately, the head chef, Chef Greg Jones, was a Seventh-Day Adventist who enjoys cooking vegetarian meals and has a lot of experience with tofu. So we put our heads together to come up with a tasty dish, actually I just said "as long as there's lots of garlic in it I'm good". He ended up making a Spicy Garlic Tofu and Mixed Vegetables dish that was tastier than most Chinese restaurants I've been to. I couldn't believe it, a tofu dish in an United States Army dining facility in Afghanistan!!

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
I Corinthians 10:31 NASB

Day 180: Protector

As a physician, my mission is to be the protector of life for the troops that I am serving with. Although I'm not the one pulling the trigger nor am I the one planning the aggressive operations, I'm the one who makes life-or-death decisions when someone is seriously injured, I'm the one who has seen, up close and personal, the physical consequences of war, I'm the one who keeps an eye out for those who may be suffering from combat stress, I'm the one who ensures that the soldiers are trained up on basic first aid, I'm the one who ensures that every contingency operation has appropriate medical personnel/equipment, I'm the one who has eyes on every soldier's overall state of health. From that perspective, I see myself as the "protector" of the troops and that makes my job extremely rewarding. But, taking on the role of "protector" means not only taking on the physical ailments and injuries of my fellow troops, but also their mental stresses and emotional vulnerabilities that they experience from being in a deployed environment. Insomnia, depression, familial problems, post traumatic stress, anxiety...the list goes on, and daily do I have to muster up the strength to tackle those issues over and over again. This is all amplified by the fact that no one around you knows what that really feels like. That's where my job can get tough. That's where the "protector" needs to be protected!

One of my friends pointed me to Psalms 144, in light of the recently delivered "air mail", as a source of encouragement. It's a beautiful Psalm and a reminder that I serve a God who protects his people...even those who may forget that they need protecting. I hope this passage will encourage you in your own personal battles, and be a simple reminder that those battles are never fought alone.

PSALMS 144

Blessed be the LORD my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle—
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My high tower and my deliverer,
My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.

LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

Bow down Your heavens, O LORD, and come down;
Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Shoot out Your arrows and destroy them.
Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

I will sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
The One who gives salvation to kings,
Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.

Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!

Day 177: Resilience

If I had to choose one word to describe the days events I would choose the word, resilience. Defined as, "having the power to return to it's original form after being stretched, bent, compressed, or altered in any way; to recover readily from adversity".

Dining Facility 0700 this morning...

Last night, at approximately 1030PM, our base was attacked by a rocket which destroyed a wall in our dining facility. Just 2 nights ago I was watching the presidential inauguration and grabbing a snack along the exact same wall that was blown up. Scary when I think about it. Also, I sleep only a few hundred yards away from this building. Actually, I'm doing OK...it all happened so fast, a loud boom, a bum rush for the bunkers, and a sigh of relief. Praise the Lord no one was hurt. The amazing story to come out of all this is to see how quickly we can exercise our resiliency. You see, we as Americans are not very accepting of defeat, we were not going to allow this seemingly depressing situation bring us down.

Dining Facility 1230 this afternoon!!

In a matter of hours, our beloved KBR civilian contractors were on the job. Their sole mission, to take care of the soldiers and maintain the morale of the troops through their food services and base maintenance services (electrical, woodworking, engineering, janitorial, etc...), and this particular group on Camp Clark in nothing short of legendary. Rumored to be one of the best and most skilled KBR units in Afghanistan, they were put to the test. And you can see from the pictures above, they were determined to serve lunch in the very dining hall that was destroyed only hours before. Well guess what...I didn't have to take a to-go box!

Sitting here thinking about the last 24 hours, I thought of all the ways God has tried his people...Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul all come to mind...all men of faith, all men of burdensome trials, all men of great resilience. And now I find myself realizing that He is trying me, allbeit in ways seemingly unimaginable. He continues to steer my faith through bends and stretches in every direction, but through His strength have I found myself unwavering and resilient to my faith in Him.

To my beloved family & friends, please believe me when I say that I thank you for all the prayers that you send up to heaven every day. From the pictures above, please know and believe that they are continually being answered.

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13,14 NKJV

Day 176: Soccer Ball Faith

Today, we saw 45 patients today in our local national clinic, and the clinic went very well. We were able to improve the clinic flow as well as the distribution of humanitarian assistance items resulting in a less stressful, more enjoyable time.

I had to add the picture above. Here is the ANA Security Commander placing shoes on what looks to be a bundle of clothes disguised as a human being! Gotta love the kids:)

I decided to allow a handful of soccer balls to be distributed to local Afghans...man are they a hit, and man can kids beg and beg and beg and beg...and beg. To be fair, and to keep myself from being tackled, I allowed my Afghan Army Security Commander to pass out the soccer balls. What was touching to me was how he came to picking the lucky children. He chose to give the balls to the children who had lost their fathers during this conflict against the Taliban. I was really touched and thought that it made for a very fair decision to give it to those boys. Check out our picture above as these boys sport their new athletic look!

Thinking about those boys I couldn't help but think of the possibility of being forever separated from Gemma, Max, and Maya. To many of you back home, I'm sure that every news blurb, heard or seen, about a bomb going off in Afghanistan is a strong reminder of just how dangerous this war in Afghanistan really is. Being right in the middle of it, I have prayed that my fear be turned into faith, and the Lord has seen me through some very intense experiences. Isn't it wonderful that we serve a God who watches and protects us always? Thoughts from a soccer ball...

"Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9 KJV

Day 174: Relax

I have officially been in theater for 3 months! The last couple of weeks have been a blur. I've been so busy balancing so many tasks at once not even realizing that I have barely given myself enough room to simply breathe and relax. As a leader, I have made it a point to give my own medics at least 1 full day off a week, but for me I always seem to find something to work on or someone to take care of. Well today, I kept things low key...here are couple of relaxing moments to help us all release some of that tension...aaahhh!

Check out the winter scenery!


Digging in our stash of shoes and prepping for our next local national clinic day

During my rare moments of relaxation, I sometimes find time to daydream about the things that I miss from home. Things that I will probably never see or experience until I set foot back on US soil such as...

Spicy Tuna Rolls...


The Beach...


...or the Cheesecake Factory

I think the images of relaxation are enough to get me through the next 3 months. Time for me to get back to work!

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10 NIV

Day 173: Cut It Out!

One of the difficulties of this deployment is the inability to maintain my medical skills. It has been months since I have delivered a baby, performed any suturing, or provided care for a hospital-bound patient. Seeing active duty folks with back pain, ankle pain, and shoulder pain day in and day out gets old after a while. Well, today I had my chance to spice it up!

Patient Case: An Afghan Army soldier wanted to get this lump taken out near his right ear. He reported no significant pain or drainage, but it had been increasing in size over the past several months. He mentioned that it had been cut open in the past, but it has recurred multiple times. He desires to have the lump removed. The lump is soft in consistency and non-tender.

Diagnosis: Sebaceous Cyst or Epidermal Inclusion Cyst

This was not only a valuable mentoring opportunity, but also a chance for me to reacquaint myself with certain medical skills such as minor skin procedures & suturing. From the mentoring side of things it gave me a chance to teach the Afghans the concept of "sterile technique" since their concept of "sterile" is washing their instruments in the sink like last night's dishes.

Back to the cyst...Epidermal Inclusion Cysts or "EICs" commonly occur on the face, back, or chest. They are walled off capsules that are filled with a substance called keratin. The reason for their recurrence is the failure to remove the cyst wall after draining out the keratin build up (another mentoring point).

After prepping the room and going over some sterile technique pointers, we were ready to go! Here are some pictures of our cyst removal party.

My medic, Ayub (scrubs)...my interpreter, Latif (the hard core shades), and myself working on removing an EIC

A shot of the cyst wall being removed. I hope I don't gross anyone out!

Look at the pretty sutures!

The procedure went extremely well and the patient was very grateful. I was able to mentor the ANA medical staff on minor procedures, improve the ANA medic's suturing skills, and address a medical issue other than low back pain or a cold. It was a win-win for everyone!

Day 172: Motivation

Every Sunday, the Afghan National Army post here at Camp Parsa has "formation". This is where all the soldiers gather together and hear words of encouragement and motivation from their brigade commander, General Esrar. Today was a rather special day as certain soldiers were chosen to receive special recognition for their hard work for their country. I was especially proud that 2 of the Afghan medics that I have been training and mentoring were from the select few that were recognized today.

Center Stage at the Brigade Formation


Front of the Formation

Congratulations, Mohammad Ayub!


Congratulations, Wahid Aagha!

In the US military, we desire ribbons & medals, but in the Afghan National Army they cherish certificates. So today, a small number of selected soldiers were presented with a certificate of appreciation for the sacrifices they have made for their country. My 2 medics that received an award were beaming! This is very timely as the ANA medics that I have been working with have been expressing concerns that they do not feel appreciated by their officers and leaders which has translated into low morale. But, between my motivational pep talks and the certificates, I think we can infuse some positive energy into them yet!

Day 170: Sixty's a Crowd!

Today, was a rather stressful local clinic day. Taking this on has had it's challenges. The uniqueness of this endeavor involves dealing with Afghan soldiers, Afghan medical staff, and Afghan interpreters. They are all great people, but even they want a piece of the humanitarian giveaway action. It was frustrating to discover that soldiers were sneaking into our coat room, doctors were taking medicines, and now even my interpreter bringing his children to the clinic knowing full well that he makes an exorbitant amount of money compared to some of the local villagers. This was all topped off with the ANA security forces letting over 60 patients (a new personal record) through the gate which was over 20 more than expected! Also, we are starting to run low on shoes and bags which means we may not be able to give as much away for next week...can you feel the tension.

Showing off her new pair of shoes

Look at my new tiger gloves! Roar!!

But, after taking a deep breath and contemplating the happy, smiley children...I realized that it's not worth sweating the small stuff. If the Lord wants us to continue on with this clinic, it will happen in His time. Until next week...

"With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26 KJV

Day 168: NYFD

A few days ago we held a special flag raising ceremony for the Afghan National Army Fire Station here on our post. Their old flag was a tattered piece of cloth, so ripped and faded that no one even knew what was printed on it. In an effort to replace their old flag, one of my fellow Naval officers, LT Zeller e-mailed a request to the New York City Fire Department (NYFD) Commissioner for a flag that can be flown for the fire station here in Khowst.

Presenting of the NYFD Flag to the ANA Fire Department

The Chief of the Fire Department and his staff with their new flag

The flag now flies every day as symbol of bravery, and an iconic reminder of why the United States is fighting in Afghanistan. The Chief of the Fire Department commented (through an interpreter), "I am committed to peace in the Khowst Province of Afghanistan, and my team will never forget the sacrifices made by fellow firemen in New York on 9/11." What a testament to the mission that we have been called to complete here in Afghanistan.

"For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation." Ephesians 2:14 NKJV

Day 166: The Courier

The first issue of the Camp Clark Courier was officially released this month. It's a newsletter dedicated to informing the citizens of Camp Clark on the happening events around the FOB...with a touch of humor.

I made Camp Clark history with the first Ask the Doc column. The brief article is not quite as sophisticated as the New England Journal of Medicine, but at least it's fun out here. Check out the article below...

Question: What's the big deal about exercise?

As military service members, the often painful ritual of "PT" can be a bit of a love-hate relationship. We know it's good for us, but at the same time, our flawed human nature prefers the caloric bliss of Big Macs, chocolate shakes, and the feel of a remote control. But, have you really ever thought about the benefits of exercise? For starters, realize that 25% of adults do not engage in any leisure physical activity.

Based on a US survey of 6300 adults and children in 2004, 55% of waking hours were spent on sedentary behaviors. In other words, we Americans prefer to chill.

See if any of these facts motivate you: regular exercise decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease through it's beneficial effects on lipid profile (decreases bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol), blood pressure (10-15 point reduction), and blood glucose control (prevention of diabetes). Regular exercise also decreases the risk of breast cancer and certain intestinal cancers. It's benefits on anxiety, stress reduction, and smoking cessation have also been proven.

So what's the right "dose" of exercise? Well, the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommends moderate intensity exercise (brisk walk, walking stairs, gardening, raking leaves, leisurely swim, washing cars) 30 minutes a day for a minimum of 5 days per week as a guideline.

There is no real consensus on the utility of achieving a certain percentage of your max heart rate (220 minus age). According to people much smarter than I, endpoints indicating an "adequate" degree of exercise include sweating, breathlessness, and fatigue...duh! Bottom line: hit the gym, start a garden, volunteer to clean HUMVEEs, just do something to break a reasonable sweat. Doctor's orders!

Day 165: The Fall

It had been a long day. Other than my usual clinic hours, I had meetings to attend, inventories of newly acquired medical supplies to sort through, and humanitarian clinic preparations to oversee. The last thing I needed to hear was, "Doc, Airman Ramirez just fell through the 2nd floor and landed onto the barber shop floor below."

Poor Barber Shop:(

Apparently, the good Airman Ramirez was doing his computer networking job of hanging coaxial wire in one of our buildings. Most of the floor is sturdy, but the wire he was hanging required walking around parts of the floor that were not so sturdy. Well, he hit a soft spot alright. He found himself falling right through the floor and onto his back...about a 10 foot drop. The scary thing was that he fell into the barber shop which had a Masterlock securing the door from the outside. He was locked in which delayed our ability to get to him in a timely manner. By the time I had figured out a way around the lock, I could here Airman Ramirez laughing behind the door. Perhaps he was enjoying a rather surreal chain of events.

Airman Ramirez posing for a souvenir shot after falling through the roof...ouch!

Well, he ended up having some bad bruises on his back, but overall he is doing very well and enjoying his new found popularity. Lessons learned for today: #1 watch your step, #2 better to fall on your back than onto your head, #3 even on a bad day...laughing makes everything better.

"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Psalms 34:7 KJV

Day 164: Cleaning Up

Our mission as Afghan Army medical mentors is to train and advise our counterparts, and enabling them to become a competent, motivated, self-sustaining army. Sounds noble in theory, but it is a slow and often frustrating process. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my mentoring job, but I sometimes feel like I'm talking to school children. Numerous times have I found myself nagging the medical staff about cleaning hospital bed sheets, putting needles in the sharps containers, or not giving antibiotics for every runny nose. Certain things I can let go, but when I discovered the condition of their medical supply closet...they had crossed the line!

Ayub and A1C Torres clearing shelves

We're scheduled to have an inspection team arrive on the 15th of January, this inspection will provide a "report card" as to how well the ANA clinic will be able to function without US mentoring. One of the biggest threats to their success is their hodgepodge organizational techniques. My persistent pleading to reorganize their supply room (which looked like it was hit by a tornado) was met with a shrug of the soldiers and an offer for a glass of chai. Well, today I had no choice. Action was the only option so I brought my medical team into the clinic, and we started the reorganization project for them...virtually from scratch.

An organized mess!

In the picture above, we laid out the medical supplies from the supply closet, inventoried the items, and restocked their emergency room with supplies from the closet.

For now, we at least sorted the equipment into reasonable categories. We no longer had ortho splints and foley caths mingling together, nor did we have unopened needles and syringes scattered all over the place. You can see phase 1 of our close reorganization project above. Stay tuned for phase 2...

Day 162: Casualty

My medics have barely been here for a week and they are already trauma veterans. It all happened very fast...I was trying to teach one of my medics how to use cryotherapy to treat some hand warts when my senior medic ran into the clinic telling me that several Afghan soldiers were hit by a roadside bomb and the ANA clinic was requesting our assistance. So in a matter of minutes we went from hand warts to battlefield trauma!

The medics did a great job mentoring our Afghan clinic medical staff in taking care of their injured soldier who had almost 50 shrapnel wounds as well as a broken left humerus (upper arm). What I wanted to teach my medics was that, as American "advisors", we are here to guide and mentor, not to do their job for them even though we want so bad to show them "American medicine".


We eventually eased our way into assisting with the care of the soldier. After fishing out some pieces of shrapnel from his back, we prepped him for transfer to a nearby trauma hospital for a surgical evaluation. Fortunately, the soldier is recovering well.

After the trauma care was completed, I gathered all the medical staff, US and Afghan, and we discussed the things that went well and the things that could have been done better. We in the military refer to this as a "debrief" or an "after action report", the Afghans saw it as an encroachment into their tea time. Nonetheless, I think the Afghans did admit that some tweaking needed to be done in certain areas. In the world of Afghan mentoring...admitting to the need for change is a huge step in the right direction!

Day 161: Mandozai

Today, I coordinated our first Afghan local national clinic featuring the new medic crew. They really enjoyed themselves this first time around.


From the fitting of coats for the children, to the sizing of shoes, to the medical care, to the passing out of goodie bags...all parties involved had an experience they will remember for a lifetime.

Major Probus passing out sweets to the kids

The children that came to the clinic were from the community of Mandozai which was hit by an SUV loaded with explosives taking the lives of 14 children and injuring over 50 Afghans on December 28th. It's virtually indescribable to imagine the living conditions that these local children endure, but to see their smiling faces as they leave our clinic tells me that we are well on our way to completing our mission here in Afghanistan.

A sneak peek at the "goodies" for the patients


Posing with Afghan children

It's amazing what you can learn from children. In my own parental adventures I've discovered that children can be the most resilient of human beings. Being around these Afghan children, I am dumbfounded at the strength, resilience, and courage these Afghan little ones have displayed as they choose to walk several miles, often through dangerous terrain and with the risk of being exposed to Taliban, in order to pick up some Flintstones vitamins, a coat, shoes, stuffed animals, and some school supplies. May we live a similar courage and strength which will allow us to discover God's unique purpose for our lives.

"Thus says the Lord, your Creator...'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!' " Isaiah 43:1 NASB

Day 160: Newbies

One of the expressions used in the Army is the phrase, "down range", which simply means being out there in the trenches where the fighting is happening, what some may refer to as the "front lines". Compared to many other bases in Afghanistan, our base is considered one that is "down range". Well, there are pluses and minuses with that. The plus side is the fact that the base is usually small (150-200 people) and the general personality of the populace is one that is laid back. The big minus is that troops intended for our base often get snatched up by units that are, for lack of a better phrase, "up range", therefore leaving us stretched for manpower . The administrative battle to ensure that the 3 medics that are leaving me are replaced with not 1, not 2, but 3 living, breathing, competent medics was a battle that I was not intending to lose.

To make a long story short and after many phone calls and e-mails to higher headquarters later. The rumors and the talk of the possibility of getting replacement medics turned into the real thing.

Go Team!

Well, here is a picture of my new team of young, eager medics. Together we will be covering the medical care of the US troops as well as the medical mentoring of the Afghan National Army troops. The medics bring a lot of skill sets with them as some have a wealth of experience in ambulance/inpatient care, pediatrics, tactical medicine, nursing, computer science, teaching, and even funeral directing (that probably covers most of our bases!). I think we have a pretty strong, well-rounded medical team. It will be fun to treat them like my young medical students...actually, although many of them don't have a college degree, their clinical medical knowledge and experiences far outweigh the experiences of a typical 1st or even 2nd year medical student.

Sgt Hodgett and SSgt Farris treating a "casualty"

To break them in, I went ahead and set up some training scenarios for my new medics. Surgical lubricant and Raspberry Crystal Light can really bring some of these scenarios to life! It was fun to review some of the basics in being a combat lifesaver. In the picture above is Sgt Hodgett and SSgt Farris working on a patient with an amputated left arm. Sorry it's a little graphic but that makes the training fun!

Day 158: Training Dummy

Today, my medic and I conducted a training session for the Afghan Army medics on the care of abdominal wounds. The class went very well and the soldiers were confident in their ability to care for someone with abdominal trauma. In an attempt at self-entertainment, I offered myself as a training dummy for our Afghan medics-in-training. Here are some highlights from the day.

Who says doctors make bad patients?

Along for the ride!

From the pictures you can see that I had much more fun than the students did. Playing the role of the dying patient was about as exciting as my day got! Not too bad for government work. Just another day in the world of medical combat advising:)

Day 154: Resolutions

Happy 2009 everyone! I can't believe that we are moving into yet another year. I honestly kept seeing "2009" as the distant future, especially since finding out about my deployment. But, the Lord has allowed time to truly fly!

So what has your resolution for this upcoming year been? Surveys have shown that most people resolve to lose weight, get out of debt, or live healthier. For me, my resolution is to come home safe and sound, to take family walks on the beach, and to hold Gemma, Maxwell, & Maya once again.

Major Ainullah and Colonel Shah Zadgull enjoying the view from our quarterdeck

In celebration of the new year, I decided to invite my 2 senior Afghan counterparts for lunch to discuss goals and to reflect on the projects that we have already accomplished. We have really enjoyed a great working relationship, and I can honestly say that they trust my recommendations for process improvement in regards to their medical system. So what is my new year's resolution? That while I am here, I intend to stand resolute in my goal to leave an Afghanistan that is better than when I first arrived.

As you make resolutions for the upcoming year, I hope that you are setting yourself up for a reasonable chance at success. If anything, simply see where you stand now, look at the world around you, examine your sphere of influence, and resolve that, come next year, you can reflect back on 2009 and say that the past year was time well spent on the welfare of others!

To my beloved family and friends, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord." Matthew 25:21 KJV