Afghanistan ER

“Here’s Mack’s latest note, Julie. I’ll read it to you:

‘We did have a huge Thanksgiving dinner. I literally ate too much. Our mission that you mentioned was successful in that we accomplished what we set out to do. We went into one of the worst Taliban areas, found improvised explosive and burned and blew it up. We also found a Taliban Aid Station and burned it down. The real sad thing was that the other platoon was moving and an Afghani soldier moved off the cleared path and stepped on an IED, blew both his legs off, also injured an interpreter. Some of our guys were carrying him to the helicopter and the enemy apparently had a buried remote-controlled IED ready. When the stretcher bearers passed over it, they blew it up, killing two of our guys, injuring several more, and of course killing the Afghan guy on the stretcher. I was six hundred meters away with the other platoon and couldn't go help them since all the ground between us was not cleared and likely seeded with plenty more explosive devices. It was extraordinarily frustrating to not be able to help. Everyone was furious and despondent at the end of an otherwise tactically very successful mission. Memorial service was yesterday.

We are in our new Aid Station, which was just completed. It is beautiful and three times as large as our old one in the old stone Afghan building. The new place is by the helicopter landing zone; can be windy at times. Also too close to the trash burn pit, and I am lobbying hard to get the burn pit moved. Anyway, after I got back from the mission I pretty much just slept all day while the medics moved everything from the old building (none of them were out on the mission like I was). It was sometimes exhausting out in the field, climbing over the stone walls in the grape fields with full packs, weapons, etc.’”

“Golly, Curmudge, it must be awfully depressing for the troops and for the folks back home at Fort Campbell for the battalion to be losing at least two soldiers per week to IEDs.”

“Julie, I seem to recall reading about medieval times when battles were stopped to allow the wounded to be removed from the field. I guess now we are fighting an even more primitive civilization.”

“Civilization? Aren’t these the guys who condemn women to death by stoning?”