Ten Things I Miss...

Good Evening Everyone,

Today I was talking with a couple of our Lieutenants and we were discussing some of the things that we miss from home. I would like to share ten things that I miss.

1. I miss the laughter of children.

2. I miss petting an animal.

3. I miss having my own bathroom.

4. I miss a quiet nights sleep that isn't interupted with the sounds of helicopters,
jet, or explosions shaking me awake at night.

5. I miss regular television commercials.

6. I miss wearing my own clothes.

7. I miss being able to go to the kitchen and cooking my own food.

8. I miss going for a drive in the country or for a drive anywhere.

9. I miss my daughter jumping on my belly and attempting to tickle me as I lay on the couch.

And lastly but certainly not finally,

10. I miss being able to go through the day and not be reminded of this awful war.


I pray for peace and I pray for Godly intervention into this conflict.

"May peace rain down from heaven..."

Peace is the first thing the angels sang.
Peace is the mark of the children of God.
Peace is the nurse of love.
Peace is the mother of unity.
Peace is the rest of the blessed souls.

Peace is the dwelling place of eternity.

Pope Leo the Great

The Winner Is...

Stump!!!

Congratulations to 'Stump' a Sussex Spaniel for winning the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club, Best in Show.

Stump is ten years old and actually came out of retirement to compete in this years contest. However, unlike Michael Jordan and Brett Favre, Stumps return to the game was a rousing success.

Here are 10 other things you might like to know about the new Champ.

1. His official name is Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee
2. He was born is Dec. 1, 1998
3. He is named "Stump" ... because he has stubby legs, is brown and resembles a tree stump
4. He has sired pups named Root, Forest and Myrtle
5. His favorite chew toy is a plush Grinch doll
6. He weighs about 50 pounds
7. He lives in Houston, Texas with the 2001 Best in Show winner J.R., a Bichon Frise
8. He didn't train at all for his return to the ring
9. He is the oldest dog ever to win Westminster, that title was previously held by the 1999 winner, an 8-year-old Papillon
10. The Westminster show was his 51st career best in show win

Workers...

Good Evening All,

Well tonight our company took some time and had a night of fun and fellowship. We have all been under a great deal of pressure lately and so tonight we had a bonfire and cooked hotdogs and made smores and had some fun activities. I think that has done alot to ease tensions. I will post photos of tonight soon.

Tonight, I want to go over some thoughts with you. I was laying in bed last night praying and when I was done, I was thinking about ways in which I could improve my Witness. Suddenly a thought came to me that often times we worry about the things that we as Christians shouldn't do in order to be a good Witness. We work on our behavior so that we don't swear, lie, cheat, steal, gossip, etc... These adjustments are appropriate but I have to think that perhaps God is less concerned about what we don't do, but what we do. In 1 Corinthians 3:8-9 Paul says,
'The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building.

Paul is making it very clear that the Lord wants us to do good works in his name. I think that often times, when I am trying to improve my life and Witness, that I focus on all of the things that I should avoid and I fail to dwell on those things that will help build the Kingdom. I think about James and John. Jesus called them to be disciples and to me they seemed like an odd choice. I get the impression that James and John were boisterous, loud, perhaps argumentative, and at times maybe not the most appropriate gentlemen in the world. But I think Christ saw something in these men and that is that they were devoted workers. When they said they would do something, they kept their word. I believe the Lord honors that type of devotion. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 Paul again instructs us to: 'Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anyone.'

The point here is that people may not always associate the things that you don't do with your devotion to Christ. For even non-Christian people can be good and morale people, but their works will not reflect their devotion to Christ. But if you are devoting your life to the service of our Lord, then our Witness will speak loud and clear. We do the things we do for a purpose. I pray that our purpose and our work is to serve Christ and build His Kingdom.

I pray that you are all well,

God Bless you,

Jeff

P.S. I need to put in a disclaimer. Please forgive me for any spelling errors that you will most certainly find on my post's. Spelling classes stopped after the 8th grade so, I am good only up to two syllable words. After that, I am winging it. Additionally, I will be coming home for a couple of weeks of leave in March. I will fly out on the 24th of March and will hopefully be home by the 26th. It will be Karis spring break and 10th birthday, so I am really excited about celebrating with her. She is awesome!

Appreciation of Mothers

I just want to write a quick note to let all of you mothers know how important you are to your children. Often times in the process of raising your children, you can become wore out and your task may seem tedious, but the positive impact that your love and direction has on your children cannot be measured. As a mother, you have the responsibility of instilling values, knowledge, and hope into your child and those are gifts that you give that will last your child a lifetime.

It is also important to know that you are not just raising a child but a future adult, a future spouse, and a future mother or father. The values that you instill into your child will point them in the direction that will carry them on their journey through life. Your child will look to you as a mother, as well as you fathers, to see what it means to be a parent. How you treat your child will often times be an indicator of how your son or daughter will treat their child.

The sacrifice that mother's make to raise their child pay quiet dividends that sometimes only you will enjoy. But deep inside you can be satisfied that you have devoted yourself to molding and developing a young child into a responsible and loving adult.

We have a saying in our company that goes, 'Let our work allow us to leave this place better than when we received it.' As a mother, you are leaving our world a child that will ensure that our society is better than when we received it.


God Bless you mothers for the love you give to our children. It is not often that mother's hear that they are appreciated, so I want to tell you all that your work does not go unnoticed. We as husbands and fathers see your love and kindness and though we don't say it often enough, we are grateful.

Mass Casualty Exercise...

Good Evening My Friends,

I mentioned that I would go over our mass casualty exercise that we performed a couple of weeks ago and so I have had some time to post the pictures. As a back brief, we had some Iraqi physicians visiting and they wanted to see how we perform in the event of a mass casualty, so we put on a demonstration. A mass casualty is when the number of patients exceeds our capabilities to deliver appropriate care or overwhelms our services. So, we have a procedure to triage these patients and move the more seriously injured patients up to a higher echelon of care.

Lt. Welch was put in charge of the exercise and was the OIC. Whereas we have all been through numerous mass casualty drills, Travis has the most experience and a deeper knowledge base on the subject. He has been involved in real world events and worked with the 101st Airborne and so he was our natural choice to run the exercise. Lt. Nott was our triage officer and SSG Julian was our NCOIC of the exercise. He was in charge of the enlisted troops. My job was to serve as the liason for the Iraqi physicians. I led them through the exercise and showed them how we implement our protocols. Fortunately, Travis did such a great job of running the show and explaining each area of treatment that my job on this day was made easy. So, I served as a tour guide.

Before I show the pictures, I want to share with you how happy I have been with how many people have been checking in with this blog. You are all a blessing to me. I was very happy to hear from Lt. Mary Delucio yesterday. Her and Cpt. Leslie Good are two of my most favorite people in the world. They are both RN's and I have worked closely with them and I can say that I don't know two more dedicated workers and honorable friends. Also, I want to thank Robert McBeath who is an old friend from high school for following along. He is the man who led me to the Lord when I was about 15 years old. His willingness to tell me about Christ changed my life.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pictures. So, here we go:

Here we have some of the Iraqi physicians watching as one of our medics uses the patients own weapon as a splint to immobilize a left leg injury. I am explaining some field expedient methods to the physicians in this picture.

Here I am speaking to the group. Actually I am singing 'Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes...' I have Tim demonstrating for me as I sing. Here he is touching his shoulders. He's very flexible.

Travis giving a class on mass casuatly exercise.


This is SPC. Hudnell. He served as our armed security. In a mass casualty in the military, armed security is a must to prevent any attempt to attack our area as we are all gathered in one location making us very vunerable. Additionally, when troops are injured, their buddies can get very emotional and demand that we care for their friends first and so we need security to keep order.

Travis explaining the Immediate Treatment Protocols. His orange vest let's everyone know that he is in charge of the operation. This makes it easy for everyone to recognize who to go to in the event of procedural inquiries.

Here I am explaining to the physicians the history of the Phipp's TMC. The clinic was named after SGT. Phipps who was killed in action in 2004. He was from Chicago but mobilized with a unit from Paris, Illinois.

Group photo

Here Maj. Hawes, myself, and Travis thank each physician for attending our exercise. Dr. Sami on the left is our interpreter.

Starting our closing ceremony.

Here is Lt. Tim Nott. He is our RN and Triage officer. How can you not love that big kid smile.

Travis putting out information and answering questions.

Tim showing us his backside. Right before this picture he looked back and asked if these pants made him look fat? He is very close to exposing a plumber's crack. I will have to talk to him.

Here our medics are demonstrating how to utilize a rigged back board in the event we have to transport a pt. with a suspected spinal cord injury.

Tim is getting ready to demonstrate the Macarena. Tim's an expert dancer. He can even do the Electric Slide. But the last time he tried that, he pulled a muscle in his back and was laid up for 2 weeks.

Either Brandon is signalling a touch down or he is doing an impression of a French Soldier and is surrendering.

Major Mike Roscoe going between patients, looking for the most injured so that he can give them some sort of medical lecture.

SSG Julian. He is in charge of our enlisted guys. He is a police officer in Indianapolis and so he carries a tazer around in case one of the officers gets out of line.

Here Travis is singing a Toby Keith song that goes something like: "It's all about me, it's all about I, It's all about number 1, me, my, me, I..."

Mike has found a soldier that he can give one of his college lectures to. The soldier was conscious and in good health when Mike started, but after the third hour the poor troop fell into a deep coma and was unable to complete the class. I think most of you Butler student's know exactly what I am talking about. Your professor is in top teaching form over here.

Pts. being brought to the triage site.

Medics have accessed the Mass Casualty Care boxes, grabbed their medic bags and are preparing for the rush of patients.

The red flag indicates that this area is where we will handle the immediate patients, or those who will need the most urgent medical care.

We have been notified of the Mass Casualty and so the exercise begins.

Lt. Nott, Maj. Roscoe, and Lt. Latino. Three amigos.

Travis is fielding some questions from the Iraqi physicians. They have a completely different method of handling a mass casualty. Instead of triaging patients. They grab the most injured patient and treat them, perform surgery, and get them to post op, before they even look at any other patient. They have no method for stabalizing less injured patients. Part of this reason is because they do not have medics and their nurses are not educated to provide care.

Spc. Jackson checking the eye pressure of one of our Iraqi physicians as a demonstration.

Here I am going over the eye equipment. Our optomety dept. has a slit lamp, glaucoma screening machines, visual acuity device, and other equipment. I am explaining how the machine checks the interocular pressure of the anterior chamber of the eye.

Spc. Jackson our optician technician.

Here we are showing the Iraqi physicians how we set up our ambulances.

One of our ambulance teams.

Here is a view of our ambulance equipment.

The mass casualty exercise went very well and I am very proud of our medics. They continue to make our company look good by being proficient and professional.

I am also thankful for my fellow officers who are not only my co-workers but great friends. I love them all.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. These are only a few of the photos of the day, but it is about as much as you can take without falling asleep. :0)

Well, God Bless you all and thanks for checking in.

Jeff

Quick Update...

Good Evening Everyone,
I haven't updated you on the goings on in our company. We are half way through our tour and we have established a routine. We fell in on a clinic that was very busy when we arrived. Actually, at the time it was the busiest in theater. This was partly due to the fact that a Brigade of soldiers from our State of Indiana was here and they were getting ready to leave and so we had a large number of soldiers who had let their medical problems go during their tour, show up at the last minute and seek care. In December and January our numbers fell off a little, but then this month we have experienced another spike as new units move into the area. So, our medics have stepped up and have been working long hours. I have been very impressed with our troops. Many of them have started taking college classes on line and are really working hard at achieving their degree. Additionally, about half of our troops have gotten into physical fitness. We have a large group of people who go to the gym everyday. It has been great for all of us as far as fitness goes and we are feeling great. As many of you know, I gained a little weight after my injury during my 2005 mobilization. I had five surgeries on my leg and as a result I was physically restricted and my tummy showed it. But since coming here I have to brag to you all that I have lost 42 lbs and am back down to my ideal weight. I am proud of that as I think losing weight is one of the hardest things to do. I couldn't have done it if I hadn't had such a wonderful accountability partner as I have in Bryan. Recently, Doug has joined us and it makes it even more assured that we will show up at the gym.

I want to clear something up. One of my recent letters, I talked about our heightened state of awareness after our last attack. I don't want to worry anyone. We are in perhaps one of the safest places that a soldier can be in, in Iraq. We had a period of time where attacks were minimal, so when we received mortars and rockets hitting an area close to our housing area, we were reminded of the importance of not becoming complacent. But rest assured our living areas are surrounded by blast walls and we are heavily protected. I don't worry for us as much as I do the young soldiers who leave the base and perform operations outside the gate. So, please don't worry about us. Medical officers are the first to hide under a desk or in a bunker because we are scaredy cats. Our medics are brave and generally laugh at us when an explosion goes off and we are the first in the bunker. The other day a door slammed shut and made a loud bang. I looked around and Bryan and Travis were under the desk hugging eachother. Travis was reassuring Bryan saying, 'Don't cry, I will protect you.' It was kind of embarrassing but that is how Travis is...he's a nurturer and protecter. Bless his heart.

Andy is still with the artillary unit. He did call and was a little peev'd that we replaced his under pants with women's panties but when I asked him if he was going airborne or did he resort to wearing the womens garment, he admitted to the latter. So, I just want everyone to know that...'ANDY WEARS WOMEN'S UNDERWEAR! ANDY WEARS WOMEN'S UNDERWEAR!!!
O.k so our maturity is a work in progress.

We have had some our ambulance platoon medics come up and rotate with us. I have been concerned that they will lose some of their clinical skills so we have them come up and focus on more of the clinical training so that if they are tasked out to another clinic, their skills will be up to date. We will be sending some of our medics down to the ambulance platoon and update their EMS skills.

The Iraqi elections are underway and so we are bracing for any violence that may come from that. We are praying that these elections are peaceful. We are also preparing for the implementation of the SOFA agreement which will start the process of sending our troops back home. This may cause an influx of soldiers to our base as they withdrawl from the cities. This would increase the demand of medical services, but I think we are prepared.

We were able to convince the Air Force construction guys to build us a stair case to the roof of our clinic. They asked why we needed access to the roof and our Sergeant told them that we needed access to the electrical wiring and satellite located on top of the building. But I think our true intentions were exposed when they discovered a row of laying folding chairs and a couple of bottles of Tropicana tanning lotion sitting in the center of the roof. They built it for us but I think we may have to give up space for them to come over to our tanning salon whenever they want. Knowing the Air Force they will have a hot tub a swimming pool and a putt putt golf course on that roof by summer's end.

Well, I want to thank you for your prayers and for checking in. Your loved ones are doing well here and everyone is safe. We all miss you guys and are eager to return to the States. We have developed a family bond here but nothing can compare to home.

I hope you are all well and you are in our prayers.

God Bless,

Jeff

Pearls for Good Health...

I just want to give a few suggestions for good health.  I hope you find these useful.
-See your doctor for an annual physical exam to include routine labs, CBC, CMP, Lipid Profile, and TSH.  Women an annual PAP smear is a must.
-After 40 years of age you will need a mammogram if you are a female and both male and females should receive a digital rectal exam to assess for rectal bleeding which can indicate colon cancer.  After 50 years of age everyone should receive a screening colonoscopy and a bone density test.
-Take all of your medicine as directed not only when remembered.
-30 minutes of exercise 3 days a week will make you feel so much better and help you lose weight.
-Wear shower shoes in public showers.  Toenail fungus is almost impossible to treat successfully.
-When using lotion to moisturize skin remember that lotion is a barrier.  If you put lotion on dry skin, you can prevent the skin from becoming hydrated.  Lotion is best used when you put it on after you shower or after the skin has been recently wet.  The lotion will help keep moisture in.
-When using calamine lotion for poison ivy remember to use it only on a rash that is weeping.  Calamine is a drying agent.  If you put it on a dry or non-weeping rash then you will cause the skin to become excessively dry and that can cause itching.  Try hydrocortisone on a dry poison ivy rash.
-Mega dosing vitamins will do nothing to improve your health and in some cases can be harmful.  Your body will only use what it needs so if you take more vitamins and minerals than you need your body will urinate it away.  But beware, fat soluable vitamins like A,D,E,and K can have an accumulative build up in the body and cause problems.  (Although, I am not sure anyone has ever had so much vitamin E to cause any neurological side effects)
-600 mg of Motrin will provide the same relief as 800 mgs.  So, if your provider wants to write you a script for 800 mg of Motrin save your kidneys and liver some work and ask for the 600 mg dose.
-Brushing your teeth is great but if you want to combat halitosis, try purchasing and using a tongue scraper.  You will be amazed what comes off of your tongue.  Don't worry about damaging your taste buds as they regenerate if they are damaged.
-If your fingers crack in the winter from the dryness or if you get a paper cut, try using a light coat of super glue over the wound.  It will stop the stinging and super glue is non-toxic.
-Men who are between the ages of 15-40 should perform monthly testicular exams.  Remember, testicular cancer is a young man's disease and presents as a painless lump about the size of a BB.  If found and diagnosed early the chance of survival is very high.
-Women when being treated for a UTI, be sure to ask for a 150mg tablet of Diflucan to combat the inevitable yeast infection that will occur when you take the antibiotics.  Take the Diflucan towards the end of your course of antibiotic treatment.
-When having a migraine, try drinking a cup of coffee or chug a Mountain Dew.  Caffiene is a vasoconstrictor and can reduce the vasodilitation phase of the migraine which is when the headache is the most severe.
-Most runny noses and sore throats are caused by viruses and will not be helped by an antibiotic.  So, don't be offended if your provider does not write you a script for an antibiotic.  Viral illnesses will run their course and you will be fine.  Just keep hydrated.
-When trying to get into shape, try adding wind sprints to your regime.  You will be amazed at the cardiovascular improvement you will get from this simple change in your workout routine.
-When visiting your doctor or if you are in the hospital, be sure to listen to your nurse.  Your nurse has most likely see it all and have great medical advice.  So, listen to them as they are better at explaining your problems than your doctor and their base of knowledge is more than you think.
-Paying extra money to purchase name brand medication is generally a waste of money.  The active ingredients in generic are the exact same as the similar trade named product.
-Floss your teeth.
-Diet soda's may not help you with weight loss.  Diet soda's fool your body into thinking that sugar or glucose is being consumed.  When this happens insulin is released in the blood and it is looking for sugar that will never arrive.  So, with all of this insulin floating around your body will send a signal to the brain asking for sugar.  This will initiate the hunger response and you will want to eat.  So, limit your diet soda intake. 
-Stretch daily.  Increased flexibility will reduce injuries during exercising and will help with joint mobility and reduce the effects of arthritis.

-Have your doctor examine your skin once a year.  If you notice a mole that is changing size, color, or shape and is bigger than a pencil erasure then see your doctor.
-If you have acne, don't waste money on acne washes or acne topical over the counter products.  Simply use soap and water and wash your face.  Acne isn't a matter of dirt or 'oily build up' on the face.  Acne is secondary to a hormonal shift.  If you suspect an infectious folliculitis then see your provider and they will treat you with an oral antibiotic.
-If you are going to travel out of the country, go to the CDC website and look up the vaccinations required for the country that you are visiting.  They have an awesome site where endemic diseases and travel medical advice is given.  Most hospital groups have a Travel Clinic that can offer you the vaccines that you need prior to leaving country.
-There are many more medical pearls and I will post some more at random as the year progresses, but perhaps the most important thing you can do for your good health is to pray.  God blesses those whom he loves.
I hope you are well and I thank you all for your prayers.  It is hard to see where the Lord leads us but I have to believe he knows where he is going.  Also, please pray for the soldiers on our base.  Violence and attacks on our base have increased and so we are on a heightened state of alert.

The Lord will use those who are willing to go...