Afghanistan ER

“Hey, Curmudge, it looks as if you have another note from Mack.”

“It’s pretty short, Julie, and is mostly a thank-you note to his brother. Here, I’ll read it to you:

‘Thanks so much for the last package. I've been doing a lot of field time with this big thing you've probably seen in the news.... Would've been downright unhealthy without all the wet wipes, toilet paper, Gatorade, and of course, the cookies for morale and a break from just straight MRE's (field rations). Very interesting and slightly precarious last several days. Last night I was on the ground 400 meters from a kinetic strike (F-16 making two runs dropping a two-thousand pound bomb each time). Most terrifying explosion I've ever experienced and I think the rest of the group felt pretty much the same.’”

“Not anything about emergency medicine in this one, Curmudge. Let’s assume that’s good news.”

“As much as I appreciate getting these notes, they always leave me a bit shaken. At least this time it was the enemy on the receiving end. Nevertheless, I’m reminded of how much danger the troops—even the medical personnel—are in.”