Dandy in Afghanistan

Hi Gang,

This week’s topic is about picking up the pieces after a comrade or loved one is injured or worse killed in action. Every patient we’ve seen come through the ER was part of a team of some sort. Much of the time the team was put together well before they arrived here. They trained together preparing for their year long tours and once they arrived here they forged a brotherhood that goes deeper than most. They ate, slept, played, trained, and fought together.

Now imagine your typical Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) mission where there is usually at least four to five soldiers assigned. If the MRAP is struck by an Improvised Explosive Device and one is killed and two are severely injured and the remaining two are mainly injured- that team just ended.

Think about the two that were left behind. One of their buddies is dead and the other two are fighting for their lives in the operating room and eventually headed back to the U.S. where they may face a much different life. Now they have to mesh with a new team and feel the void of their missing teammates, not to mention grieve the teammate that was killed. They may place blame or guilt on themselves for the situation and question if they could have done something different in the situation to change the outcome.

Then think about the two severely injured guys. One minute they’re riding along in the MRAP and the next minute they’re coming to in the recovery room at the FOB being told that they lost both of their legs. Then after they are stabilized they’re flown on a helicopter to the Bagram ER where they undergo more surgeries and then eventually flown out to Germany. Once they arrive in Germany they are evaluated again and then flown back to the states for more rehabilitative care. It must be a lonely journey. Many of them ask if they will be able to come back. They don’t want to leave their team. Just a week ago, they were bench pressing 250 pounds with their buddies talking about how many beers they were going to drink on their R and R and how much they were looking forward to seeing their wife and kids. Now, they’re sitting in a wheel chair going to physical therapy twice a day wondering what the heck they are going to do with their lives.

Sometimes they heal and find new ambitions in life to conquer. They get new prosthetic legs and set out on unimaginable feats. They run marathons, down hill ski, get educations, open their own business and never let the unplanned turn in the road get in their way. But other times, it’s just too much. They have too many demons to face and find unhealthy ways to cope. Many of them end up turning to alcohol, drugs, and violence in attempt to heal the psychological scars of war.

Lastly there is the family of the solider killed in action. It’s the phone call that no parent should ever have to hear, to find out that your child paid the ultimate price for our country’s freedom. Or to hear that your husband’s been killed in combat and now you have to raise four small children alone. What does she tell the kids and how does she face each day?

The next time you’re having a crappy day, I encourage you to reflect on the men and women of the Armed Services who gave their lives and pray for their comrades and loved ones left behind picking up the pieces.

Dandy 161.4 miles to go Aaron