Well, another week is in the books. This one went pretty fast, as we had some engaging training to complete. This week I realized that the army is full of mechanics, maybe not by trade but everything we do is to geared toward fixing something. My team consists of 10 people, all from different backgrounds and varying walks of life. Our main mission for our upcoming deployment is to fix the Iraqi Army unit that we will be joined with. They have many problems, mostly stemming from the fact that they are a new unit and still don't have the equipment or personnel that are required to accomplish any sort of mission.
This week I enhanced my mechanic skills and found that I am not only good at fixing vehicles, but I am capable of fixing people, too. WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH IS A BIT GRAPHIC... We were given classes on Combat Casualty Care and how to eliminate the three major causes of deaths on the battlefield. The first of these is bleeding from an extremity. The majority of people wounded in Iraq pass away because they don't reach an adequate treatment facility in time to save them. Tourniquets are the one of the newest fads in saving causalities. Did you know that you can have a tourniquet applied to a limb for six hours before the limb is completely lost? The second major cause of fatalities is collapsed lungs due to an open chest wound. Luckily I have learned the fine art of repairing this problem...What you have to do once the wound is sealed and bandaged, is to take the pressure out of the chest cavity by inserting a needle into the wounded person. This lets the extra air out and allows the lung to re-inflate and operate normally. Lastly, I brushed up on the nasopharangeal procedure (sticking a tube through one's nose and down their throat in order to open the airway) to fix the third cause of battlefield deaths, the blocked airway.
We did do some training that wasn't as morbid, like initiating an IV or saline lock. I got to be the guinea pig for this event by volunteering myself for a live demonstration. Luckily, the guy that demonstrated for us is an EMT for the local Fire Department. Too bad I have two arms and had to donate the other to a Captain that, well, let's just say that he wasn't as experienced as the EMT. He stuck my arm and hit the vein, but when it came time to push the catheter into the vein he became a little excited and pulled the needle out, ruining any chance he had of completing his task. I did allow him to try on my other arm (BIG MISTAKE) just above the site where the EMT stuck me the first time. Again, he hit the vein, and this time he did thread the catheter in correctly, or so we thought. It was a bit too painful, so I figured something was wrong, but I let him continue anyway. I don't know if he went all the way through the vein or what, but there wasn't a good connection. The Army medic started to pull the catheter out slowly in order to see if he could get it back in the vein (once again, a bit too painful) but didn't succeed. Let's just say that I look like a junkie now with all the holes in my arms.
On a lighter note, I am going to El Paso tomorrow to see Melissa and the boys for a four day weekend. I miss them so much! Anyway, this looks like a good spot to end it...till next time!
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