Lesson #1 - War Affects All

I raised my right hand and took the oath as a military officer in April of 2000. There was absolutely no way to know then where this journey would take me. In 11 years, I have learned a great deal. Some lessons will stay with me forever...

In 2004, I was a brand new doctor and Captain in the U.S. Air Force. After graduating from medical school, I was sent to Offutt Air Force Base(AFB) in Omaha, Nebraska for my first assignment. My mission was to become a board certified family physician. I was in training there for 3 years. The family medicine residency there at Offutt AFB is integrated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center It is an outstanding program. The training was rigorous.

So, there I was as a family medicine intern working on the maternity ward at Offutt AFB in November of 2004. One morning was particularly busy with 3 women in labor similtaneously. I was working with a patient named April. Her labor became complicated. We took her to the operating room for an urgent cesarean section. As we worked to get the baby out quickly, I remember vividly noticing that the father was not present. Instead, the grandmother to be was there providing support to April. There were tears of joy as I helped the obstetrician bring the infant into the world as his first breath was taken. At that moment, we seemed a million miles away from the front lines of Iraq.

Half a world away, "The Battle of Fallujah" was raging. U.S. Marines invaded the insurgent stronghold in Iraq. The bloodiest battle of The Iraq War ensued. It went on for weeks. There were heavy casualties. A young marine named Shane was one of the many killed in Fallujah. He hailed from Omaha.

The maternity ward at the Offutt AFB Hospital was quiet when 3 marines dressed in full service dress arrived in the middle of the night. April and her new baby boy were recovering from the events of the day. Nothing could prepare anyone for the news that the marines were there to deliver. I am sorry to say that the father of the child was killed in Fallujah, Iraq on the same day his son came into this world. The small hospital at Offutt AFB was now the center of a story that seemed too cruel to be true. The entire community was now aware that a young marine who grew up in Omaha had perished on the battlefield. His son would be raised without a father. It is a heart breaking story to say the very least.

I remember everyone commenting on how well April was coping. She must have been in a state of shock. The Omaha community reached out to her. A memorial service was held at a cathedral in town. I dusted off my dress blues and attended along with the obstetrician whom I assisted in delivering Shane Junior. Neither of us had ever met Shane Senior, but that did not seem to matter at all. Words cannot describe the sadness so many felt. It was a moving memorial service. The reality of what happened was now starting to sink in for everyone.
Certainly, many difficult days were endured and are still endured by the family.

My life in Omaha seemed so far away from the war to me before this tragic story enfolded. I was focused on learning medicine. Unfortunately, this tragedy gave me a glimpse of the horrors of war. We live our lives peacefully on most days. But, mankind chooses to wage war. And, in the end war affects all.

Lessons Learned

It has been about a month since I "blogged". That is perfectly fine because almost nobody is reading this blog anyway! "Life After Afghanistan" is not as exciting as "On Call in Afghanistan". It is kind of like the TV show "MASH" and then its sequel "After MASH". The original is so much more compelling. But, my life goes on and I have to make sense of it. Reality is that I "blog" for myself primarily. In Afghanistan, it kept me sane. I was able to think about the intense experiences I was having, write about them, and then put them behind me. That was absolutely necessary because the patients just kept rolling in every single day. Now, back home things are not nearly as intense. But, that does not mean that I do not have things to write about. After all, I want to go on living and be normal!

My military career is coming to a close rapidly. I have less than 8 weeks until my last day in the U.S. Air Force. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am excited. Yesterday I received the official papers stating that I will be discharged honorably from the military on June 30th. I will see my last military patient on June 9th. I will likely wear the uniform for the last time on June 17th. On July 1st, my new life will begin on my first day as a sports medicine fellow at the University of South Carolina. I will not have much time to transition. Perhaps that is a good thing.

I have been reflecting on my military career quite a bit lately. I just returned from an amazing vacation to Germany. It was one of the highlights of my career. I stayed 4 nights at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. It is run by the U.S. Army and is for American military personnel only. The resort sits at the base of the highest peak in the German Alps. The scenery is breathtaking there. I had time to think about a lot of things. For 11 years I have been in the U.S. Air Force. It has been eventful to say the least. There have been good times and bad times. There have been some great moments and also plenty of low points. I am proud of my service. I have learned a great deal. As I prepare to leave the military life and enter the civilian world, it seems only right to write about the most significant things I have experienced. The remainder of my blog is going to be a collection of "Lessons Learned". ENJOY!