Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Read this and don't cry - I dare you
email to the Don Wade and Roma Morning Show, WLS AM Chicago ^ | 11-18-04 | "Heidi, M.D."

Posted on 11/19/2004 10:17:51 AM PST by RtWngr

E-MAIL FROM IRAQ A friend of ours, Heidi, a doctor and Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy, just finished a seven-month deployment to Iraq treating wounded Marines. Just a few weeks ago, she came home to her 2-year-old twins she left with her husband while she served in Iraq.   While waiting for her flight home, Heidi wrote an e-mail home listing the good and the bad of her tour of duty. She did this for closure and healing, hoping that somehow the trauma, the fear, the grief, the laughter, the pride and the patriotism that she experience in those long seven months would begin to make sense, through her writing.   She wrote:   "So here goes ... in reverse order of importance ...

THINGS THAT WERE GOOD   Sunset over the desert, almost always orange.   Sunrise over the desert, almost always red.   The childlike excitement of having fresh fruit at dinner after going weeks without it.   Being allowed to be the kind of clinician I know I can be, and want to be, with no limits placed and no doubts expressed.   But most of all, the United States Marines, our patients.   Walking, every day, and having literally every single person who passes by say "Oo-Rah, Ma'am..."   Having them tell us, one after the other, through blinding pain or morphine-induced euphoria: 'When can I get out of here? I just want to get back to my unit ...'   Meeting a young sergeant, who had lost an eye in an explosion. when he could finally open the other eye, he sat up and looked at the young Marines from his fire team who were being treated for superficial shrapnel wounds in the next room. He smiled, laid back down, and said, 'I only have one good eye, Doc, but I can see that my Marines are OK.'   And of course, meeting the one who threw himself on a grenade to save the men at his side ... who will likely be the first Medal of Honor recipient in over 11 years ...   My friends ... some of them will be life-long in a way that is indescribable.   My patients ... some of them had courage unlike anything I've ever experienced before.   My comrades, Alpha Surgical Company ... some of the things witnessed will traumatize them forever, but still they provided outstanding care to these Marines, day in and day out, sometimes for days at a time with no break, for seven endless months.   And last, but not least ... Holding the hand of that dying Marine.

  THINGS THAT WERE NOT GOOD   Terrifying camel spiders, poisonous scorpions, flapping bats in the darkness, howling, territorial wild dogs, flies that insisted on landing on our faces, giant, looming mosquitoes, invisible sand flies that carry leishmaniasis.   132 degrees.   Wearing long sleeves, full pants and combat boots in 132 degrees.   Random and totally predictable power outages that led to sweating throughout the night.   Sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat, like wrists, and ears.   The roar of helicopters overhead. The resounding thud of exploding artillery in the distance.   The popping of gunfire ...   Not knowing if any of the above sounds is a good thing, or bad thing.   The siren, and the inevitable 'big voice' yelling at us to take cover.   Not knowing if that siren was on someone's DVD or if the big voice would soon follow.   The cracking sound of giant artillery rounds splitting open against rock and dirt. The rumble of the ground. The shattering of the windows ...   Hiding under flak jackets and Kevlar helmets, away from the broken windows, waiting to be told we can come to the hospital ... to treat the ones who were not so lucky.   Watching the helicopter with the big Red Cross on the side landing at our pad. Worse, watching Marine helicopters filled with patients landing at our pad ... because we usually did not realize they were coming.   Ushering a sobbing Marine colonel away from the trauma bay while several of his Marines bled and cried out in pain inside. Meeting that 21-year-old Marine with three Purple Hearts, and listening to him weep because he felt ashamed of being afraid to go back.   Telling a room full of stunned Marines in blood-soaked uniforms that their comrade, who they had tried to save, had just died of his wounds. Trying, as if in total futility, to do anything I could to ease the trauma of group after group that suffered loss after loss, grief after inconsolable grief.   Washing blood off the boots of one of our young nurses while she told me about the one who bled out in the trauma bay, and then the one who she had to tell, when he pleaded for the truth, that his best friend didn't make it.   Listening to another of our nurses tell of the Marine who came in talking, telling her his name, about how she pleaded with him not to give up, told him that she was there for him, about how she could see his eyes go dull when he couldn't fight any longer.   And last, but not least ... Holding the hand of that dying Marine."


TOPICS: Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: dontcry; donwadeandroma; heros; iraq
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140141-154 next last
To: McGavin999

Many of them will return scarred physically, but even more will return scarred emotionally. God help this nation if she does not receive these with heroes welcome. I know it will be years, perhaps no end, this WOT....but we need to do something very significant for those returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Ticker tape parades in every major city, I hope.


101 posted on 11/19/2004 5:06:22 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

Bump for later read...


102 posted on 11/19/2004 5:07:20 PM PST by PowerPro (DOUBLE W - He's STILL the one. Now don't that feel GOOD????)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr; Admin Moderator
Is there an approved way to re-post this so the folks this evening can read it? Any help would be appreciated.

Beats me, other than all of us bumping it...

Moderator, verdict?

103 posted on 11/19/2004 5:11:09 PM PST by Itzlzha (The avalanche has already started...it is too late for the pebbles to vote!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

Wow! Sniff, sniff.


104 posted on 11/19/2004 5:17:53 PM PST by rawhide
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PeterFinn

And it worked. They had clear weather and crushed the Germans that battle.


105 posted on 11/19/2004 5:19:24 PM PST by Fledermaus (Are we a nation divided? Yes. Is it Red-Blue? No. It's the Sane vs. the Insane Left!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

The last sentence did me in.


106 posted on 11/19/2004 5:20:17 PM PST by gitmo (Thanks, Mel. I needed that.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

bump


107 posted on 11/19/2004 5:24:22 PM PST by Museum Twenty (Proud supporter of President George W. Bush)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

I always cry,I don't trust people who don't cry! Story makes me feel very small.


108 posted on 11/19/2004 5:30:10 PM PST by Boazo (From the mind of BOAZO)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dawgreg
Tears flooding here as well!

I sometimes wonder if my three best friends who came home in pine boxes during the Viet Nam War was all because of John Kerry! I just wonder!

This story is every bit emotional as I am and I'm verrrrrry emoooootional!

109 posted on 11/19/2004 5:31:24 PM PST by Grassontop (When I accepted Jesus as my savior, finally God revealed the truth of this world to me! Praise Jesus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr
Thanks for posting this. e-mail. It really leaves one speechless.

God bless all of our military men and women.

110 posted on 11/19/2004 5:34:43 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr; Smartass; MeekOneGOP; Happy2BMe; potlatch; Bassfire

Ping Bump


111 posted on 11/19/2004 5:35:41 PM PST by Boazo (From the mind of BOAZO)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr


112 posted on 11/19/2004 5:41:31 PM PST by sanchmo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Itzlzha; RtWngr; Admin Moderator

Do you guys think that a thread set up solely for communications (post, e-malis, letters freepers wish to share from their love ones) in Iraq and Afganistan would be a good thing?

113 posted on 11/19/2004 5:47:09 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

Flood of tears.

Dear God, please bring our troops home safely and grant comfort to the family of those brave souls who didn't make it.

Semper Fi!

MarineMomJ


114 posted on 11/19/2004 5:49:06 PM PST by MarineMomJ (The truth only hurts when it's true.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: TexKat
Do you guys think that a thread set up solely for communications (post, e-malis, letters freepers wish to share from their love ones) in Iraq and Afganistan would be a good thing?

Sounds good to me...I have no objections...not like I carry any weight here...

115 posted on 11/19/2004 5:55:30 PM PST by Itzlzha (The avalanche has already started...it is too late for the pebbles to vote!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]

To: Itzlzha

Ok I will start one and will ping you to it when I'm done.


116 posted on 11/19/2004 5:57:57 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

By the last line, the trickle started and won't stop.

God bless our service men and women. God bless the medical teams who work so hard to mend the broken. God bless those who have to hear the saddest phrase a Doctor can say: "I'm sorry; he/she didn't make it."

God bless America and her allies.


117 posted on 11/19/2004 6:02:25 PM PST by HighlyOpinionated (I had this inventive tagline, but the dogs ate it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Grassontop

I never thought of it Grassontop UNTIL Kerry ran for President. We lost 9 boys from our high school. The 1st in l967 (we graduated in 1966) and lost the last in 1972. The latter has a VFW post named after him in our area. I think of these boys often, resenting the fact they never married, had children and knew the joys of having grandchildren. I really resent it when I see a pompous ass like Kerry using his service (?) as a stepping stone to the presidency. He's no better than Fonda, Hayden, Hoffman and their ilk. Thank God for John O'Neill and the swift boat vets for exposing this fraud. God Bless our wonderful military. John Kerry isn't fit to shine their boots.......past or present.


118 posted on 11/19/2004 6:27:13 PM PST by Dawgreg (Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 109 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr

No women ... no cry...


119 posted on 11/19/2004 6:32:24 PM PST by BigRedState (Demorat Poison)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RtWngr; Itzlzha
RtWngr would you like to post a copy of your e-mail here

FROM OUR HEROS

120 posted on 11/19/2004 6:35:38 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140141-154 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson