Day #65 - Not Just Another Boring Saturday ...

Yesterday was Saturday here. But it wasn't just gonna be another meaningless Saturday in Iraq, it was the day we had planned to have our "Cinco de Mayo" party here at the hospital. I know what you're thinking ... why have a Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 2nd? Well, because of work schedules more people would be able to attend if we did it on the 2nd rather than the 5th so that's what we did. We had fresh tortillas, steaks on the grill, alcohol-free beer on ice, and pinyatas hanging in the courtyard behind the hospital. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear with temps in the high 80's. It was around 6pm and I was getting some tips on throwing horseshoes from one of our local "experts". I was just about to light up a cigar while we were waiting for the steaks to be done (my new found interest in cigars will have to be discussed in one of my future posts) when we got the call that we had multiple trauma patients in route to the hospital. And just like that ... our Cinco de Mayo party was over before it had even gotten started as everyone rushed to the ER to prepare for the arrival our of patients.

Some of you may have read on the web about the attack here yesterday. An Iraqi Army soldier working with U.S. forces walked into a building on an Army compound just south of the hospital and shot five U.S. soldiers. Two were killed instantly and the remaining three were brought to us by helicopter. Two of the three patients we received were in critical condition and and after we stabilized them in the ER, our surgeons spent most of the night trying to control the damage in the operating room. And in the end it was a success as we were able to save all three soldiers' lives.

It was a long night, and it wasn't until around midnight that some of us made it back to the party. The steaks were cold and charred, the near-beer was warm, and no one really felt like celebrating. I finally got a chance to smoke my cigar with some of the other guys as we sat around and discussed the events of the last few hours, but I didn't really enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. So I headed off to bed and with the internet and phones blacked out I couldn't call Christen and the kids.

This morning I sat on the airfield and watched two planes take off from Mosul. The first was headed for Germany with the three surviving patients from yesterday's brutal attack. We had given them a fighting chance here in Mosul but they still had a long recovery ahead and I wished them well. The second plane was heading back to the United States. I watched as the personal belongings and gear of the two fallen soldiers were loaded onto the plane. This was followed by two caskets, each drapped with an American flag, being gently carried across the tarmac by their fellow soldiers. I said a silent prayer for them and their families and then headed back into the hospital to check on my patients. Although I recently wrote about how mundane the days have become, yesterday was not just another boring Saturday in Iraq. In fact, the longer I am here, the more acceptable boring becomes. Because when things are slow for us, it means American soldiers and their families aren't suffering. So I'll take boring any day of the week and as I finish this post I am hoping to enjoy just another boring Sunday in Iraq.