Iraq is heating up!

This is just a update of what's going on where my brother is in Bagdad. I want to be general as this stuff could actually be used to target the hospital he works. He is up operating 24 hours a day with one hour naps here and there. It seems pretty bad. Here is an excerpt from his email today.

"Sadir has broken the truce and we've been under a siege for the last 8 days, we went from the occasionally mortar attack to now constant mortar and rocket attacks on the order of 30-50 a day now. Two days ago I was doing an emergent postpartum hysterectomy on a woman bleeding out after having a baby at home, when a mortar hit the roof above my OR, it makes us very nervous, Its like a bad MASH episode but real..."

I really admire him. He always ends his letters with a statement like this.."I am also blessed to be here now, making a real difference in peoples lives... like a 9 yo Iraqi boy we took care of late last night in the OR who was shot through the neck, or the woman I mentioned above who would have bleed to death if left to the Iraqi health system... What the American Public doesn't know, is we treat and take care of ALL patients good guys, insurgents, American soldiers, Women, children...
Thanks for writing, take care"
God bless you all serving over there, and for those members with family over there my thoughts are with you, Steve.

WoW.
He is truly a special person for doing all of this under the conditions that he has to work in.

These Solders really need our support, the public just doesn’t get enough information and life just goes on over here. Unless people have family over there I do not believe they understand. My nephew has been they’re twice, my niece one tour, plus cousin’s. I still say send the gang bangers over there, let them fight all they want, they could go back as many times as they want, just voicing my opinion.

Richard

I'll agree that the troops definitely deserve every bit of support we can give them!!!! Not the same can be said for the *&&$(*XXX politicians who keep sending them there!!!!!

I agree Dave!

http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/heroestour/

The American Legion post I belong to hosted the Vets For Freedom tour last Friday(28th). If the tour is coming to a town near you, it's definitely worth going in to show your support.

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Originally Posted by Lord Antagonism

http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/heroestour/

The American Legion post I belong to hosted the Vets For Freedom tour last Friday(28th). If the tour is coming to a town near you, it's definitely worth going in to show your support.

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Though supporting the troops is indeed a worthwhile effort, it would appear the American Legion is using it as a front to continue their efforts in supporting the war....

From the link you posted:


The Vets for Freedom National Heroes Tour is about supporting our troops, honoring their commitment, and rallying the country to complete the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

unquote.


Just like Vietnam, there is no end to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The people in that part of the world have been fighting for four thousand years and we cant stop it. To many cultures living to close togeather all wanting everything their way with no respect for anyone. My nephew is being deployed soon and I am not happy and my brother is allmost out of his mind with worry. I wish there was an answer.But it goes on. .....Francis

Thanks Stoven - I am speachles - thanks for the reminder.

Man Stovens, all the best to your brother and any other guys out there. But I agree with Dave on that one, I want to see some politicians and their kids over there and maybe that would turn their attention back to their own people starving or in need of health care.

Sean

I know you must be very proud of him Steve, so are we. Thank him and all of his buddies for us at home.

I just heard a statistic the other day. Bush asked for $ 60 Billion when this "war" started, and the tab so far is $ 608 Billion. We have also lost 4,000 young people, and many more are disabled. How you can help people who think it is an honor to die for religious beliefs and who have been fighting forever is beyond me.

I'll say a prayer that your Brother and all his fellow service people come home safely and soon.

Don

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Originally Posted by ford2custom

These Solders really need our support, the public just doesn’t get enough information and life just goes on over here. Unless people have family over there I do not believe they understand.
Richard

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Well said!
I'm glad they are over there, and not over here fighting!!!!!!!

"The people in that part of the world have been fighting for four thousand years and we cant stop it."
True! But if we don't they will keep attacking us here!

I will not say more...........!

Pat

I got another email from my brother last night. It's funny that he refers to MASH episodes to decribe what it is like over there. The visual works for me. I thought some of you would like to read this excerpt from his email last night.
"Sorry I haven't written, the last 3 weeks has been very intense, almost like a dream, if you remember the MASH episodes of patients just lined up for miles and then another helicopter coming in, well you get the picture. At one point even though we wear gloves I couldn't get the blood out between the creases in my palms. I've included some recent photo's mostly of me wearing body armor inside during the especially dangerous times, the picture of me with the Flag is actually my bed, I share a room with another surgeon., and one of a typical dust storm we get at least every couple days. The air quality here is very poor here, they say 20% of the particulate mater is feces... I believe it, the air literally stinks.

Overall, I'm doing fine, definitely feeling the effects of chronic fatigue and lack of sleep. We've set an all time record for the 5 years of war here, for the most #surgeries, and # surgeon hours in a 24hr period. Overall people are hanging in here, they come from all over the US, and are ordinary folks but doing extraordinary things. I've never seen so much dedication in my entire life to doing the right thing, regardless of age, sex, skin color, we work till the n'th degree to keep people alive. We take all comers, even the burned children the Iraqi hospitals have sent home to die, we have some incredible stories of survival others, and incredible devotion of soldiers to taking care of their buddies. I don't know what the right thing to do for this country is, but I can tell you if we just left in 60 days, everything every life that's been lost, and the Iraqi's have lost literally thousands will be for nothing, and thousands will die due to the unrest. These people want the same things we do, to live in peace, to go to work, to earn enough to take care of their families, and have their children grow up healthy.
Iraq is a very harsh place, men in their 20's look like their 50's, its rare to find an Iraqi 60 years old, those in their 50's look 75. "

It's very sad what is happing over there; your Brother is a GREAT guy plus all the others that are serving over there. We are praying for their safety.

Richard

I'll say the same thing about your brother & the other militarty people over there that I told my son before he left for Iraq, that he & the rest of his Marine plattoon all have bigger balls then myself & all my friends put together doing what they are doing in this time of war. Make sure you tell your brother we're all praying for him & the others & hopefully they all will be home soon.

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Originally Posted by stovens

I got another email from my brother last night. It's funny that he refers to MASH episodes to decribe what it is like over there. The visual works for me. I thought some of you would like to read this excerpt from his email last night.
"Sorry I haven't written, the last 3 weeks has been very intense, almost like a dream, if you remember the MASH episodes of patients just lined up for miles and then another helicopter coming in, well you get the picture. At one point even though we wear gloves I couldn't get the blood out between the creases in my palms. I've included some recent photo's mostly of me wearing body armor inside during the especially dangerous times, the picture of me with the Flag is actually my bed, I share a room with another surgeon., and one of a typical dust storm we get at least every couple days. The air quality here is very poor here, they say 20% of the particulate mater is feces... I believe it, the air literally stinks.

Overall, I'm doing fine, definitely feeling the effects of chronic fatigue and lack of sleep. We've set an all time record for the 5 years of war here, for the most #surgeries, and # surgeon hours in a 24hr period. Overall people are hanging in here, they come from all over the US, and are ordinary folks but doing extraordinary things. I've never seen so much dedication in my entire life to doing the right thing, regardless of age, sex, skin color, we work till the n'th degree to keep people alive. We take all comers, even the burned children the Iraqi hospitals have sent home to die, we have some incredible stories of survival others, and incredible devotion of soldiers to taking care of their buddies. I don't know what the right thing to do for this country is, but I can tell you if we just left in 60 days, everything every life that's been lost, and the Iraqi's have lost literally thousands will be for nothing, and thousands will die due to the unrest. These people want the same things we do, to live in peace, to go to work, to earn enough to take care of their families, and have their children grow up healthy.
Iraq is a very harsh place, men in their 20's look like their 50's, its rare to find an Iraqi 60 years old, those in their 50's look 75. "

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Give your brother a big thank you---- and please forward some of his notes to those who keep carrying on with all "the glory of war" talk..... Just thing what a group of such dedicated medical professionals could do in a non-wartime ER and Trauma Center!!!!!!

The West is paying a huge price for arrogance.

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Originally Posted by TyphoonZR

The West is paying a huge price for arrogance.

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You got that right!!!! Those in the Muslim world who didn't hate us sure have reason to now!!!! Thanks GW....

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Originally Posted by TyphoonZR

The West is paying a huge price for arrogance.

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I'll abide by the rules and not say what is really on my mind, suffice it to say that I don't agree with you.

You know Guys
I'm with you both. I'm saddened by the effect this conflict has blown up it to on a world scale and view of the US. I wish we never got into this, because there will be no easy way out. Yet I hear all the stories of the Iraqis who are greatfull for whatever help we can offer. The middle east is such a different culture tha we can't project our value system on them, and yet from a human rights issue, what was happening there and many other places in this world are pretty bad too. Saddam was a bad person, yet he kept the country stable under his sadistic regime. No easy answers, never will be, wether your for or against this! If there was no war we'd have a hell of a national health care budget! What I can say is I'm proud of my brother helping people in their time of need. Steve.

My oldest daughter is a Registered Nurse and is in country and very possibly has run into your brother and that makes me just a little prejudiced.

i totally agree with you stovens.

You can support the troops and still be totally against the liars that sent them there..... Just like Vietnam it was started because of a bunch of politicians telling each other and the public lies, and now we're supposed to believe that it doesn't matter why we're there but we can't leave because chaos will reign????? Doesn't matter when we leave, chaos will reign....


Support the troops........But don't buy into the lies....

Most importantly, hold the people responsible for sending them there to be there with the big checkbook to take care of them when they come home!!!!!! At least then it won't be a total repeat of Vietnam..... Don't wait twenty years to welcome them back......

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Originally Posted by stovens

You know Guys]Yet I hear all the stories of the Iraqis who are greatfull for whatever help we can offer.

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I guess so! But why is it that they need help?

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Originally Posted by stovens

You know Guys]Saddam was a bad person, yet he kept the country stable under his sadistic regime.

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If Saddam was a bad person for keeping peace within his own borders by executing 141 people who may or may not have been rightfully executed, (I forget the exact number or reason) what does that make this present force who is responsible for bascially murdering, what is it now, some 4000 US men, and for what cause? Not to mention the hundreds of thousands (300,000 I think not to mention soldiers from other Countries)of Iraqi citizens who have been killed because of the invasion. And for what just cause? What was the reason again, I forget, it keeps changing. Needless to say, we are way out of line.

Just imagine if China marched into the US and did this! Hey, it matters not to me, I am just one person who still tries to use reason in all things, and this one just doesn't add up.

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Originally Posted by stovens

You know Guys]If there was no war we'd have a hell of a national health care budget!

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ummm, don't you suppose the 10 billion(let me see if I can write it out, $10,000,000,000.00) a month that is spent on the war, dwarfs any health care deficet? Why not throw money at our own citizens, not to mention, not killing our own. Like I said earlier, it really doeesn't matter to me, I am only effected in a small way and I can over look rising gas prices.
I am just saddened for all the looses of innocent non warring family members in Iraq,...cause they had no choice.

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Originally Posted by Dave Severson

You can support the troops and still be totally against the liars that sent them there..... , and now we're supposed to believe that it doesn't matter why we're there but we can't leave because chaos will reign????? Doesn't matter when we leave, chaos will reign....

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I agree, support the troops by all means, and then get them out of there.:LOL:

Lets end this thread . I didn't post it to become a political opening. Start a new one if you wish, this was for those who like hearing updates from my brother, nothing more. Please respect this thank you, Steve.

Stovens- Thank you! I am about ready to explode reading this. Give your brother heartmost thanks from a veteran.

I agree with you Stovens, right now it's about your brother, we all are grateful for his dedication and bravery. We want to hear how he is doing so keep us posted and we will just send him positive thoughts along with prayers.

Richard