First Week in Iraq

I am doing very well in Iraq. The place I am in is like a mini Green Zone in Bagdad. It is about a little less than a square mile in area. It is lined with T-roll, which are 10 or 12 ft big construction cement blocks on the perimeter. There hasn’t been a mortar attack in a few months.
My hut is in a section appropriately named “Scapel Lane”. Nice little section where most of the docs are, next to the hospital.
I have not been very busy with trauma or surgical cases which is good for a number of reasons. I have been busy learning how they do things around here. I do a clinic twice a week. I see mainly things like I would back home, like torn ligaments, tendonitis, a lot of aches and pains. There is no dictation system at all. Everything I do, I have to type into the computer. There inpatient system is old and archaic, based on a DOS system. The outpatient clinic computer is Windows based, so it is easier. They don’t talk to each other, so I do a lot of duplication. The good part is that at least I get a lot of practice typing, which I certainly need.
They have a good gym here with lots of equipment. I have been going about every day. The dining facility (defac) is great. They have a wide selection, lots of desserts too. I have to be disciplined or I will come home a fat cow. It is probably a good thing that they are both located about ½ mile away, so I walk it back and forth 3 times a day.

Tom

On to Iraq

My flight to Iraq was interesting. We flew a C-130, which really looks like a plane left over from WWII. It was hot inside. It was also very hot outside too. Anyway, we had to make 2 stops and drop off other providers at Al Asad and Tikrit. The interesting part is the pilot has to make combat approaches. For the landing he turns and twists and goes up and down, then dive bombs the plane. He pulls out at the last second, then all of a sudden you feel the tires hit the runway. Man this ride puts the rides at Great America to shame. Apparently, the planes have been shot at before, so they take precautions.
When I arrived, at the airport, they took me a couple hundred feet from the terminal and said I was home. I am at the 86th CSH (Combat Support Hospital). It is literally a stone's throw from the taxiway of the airport. They bring in casualties from all over, usually fly them by a blackhawk right to us.
My place in Mosul is not too bad. My shack is about 50 feet from the hospital. There is a bomb shelter about 10ft right outside my door. Fortunately, I haven't had to use it yet. The last mortar attack was a few months back.
I am the only American Orthopedic Surgeon in all of northern Iraq. Any troop with ortho injuries comes to see me. Amazing, my practice spreads 50 to 100 miles. And to think they travel all that way just see me. Imagine how busy I would be in Chicago covering that much territory.
I didn't know this, but Mosul is the 3rd largest city in Iraq, has about 2 million people living in it. This is mainly a Kurdish area. The Kurds are our friends, unfortunately, there are still plenty of unfriendlies around. The Kurd are like the Jews of Nazi Germany. Saddam Huesien(s/p?) killed over a million of them with gas and chemical weapons. So they liked that we took him out.

Tom

Kuwait - continue

While I was at Kuwait, I met quite a few doctors who were also going to Iraq but to different cities such as Bagdad or Tirkit or Al Alsad. Obviously we were all nervous, concerned but also happy to go to a war zone to help our troops. One physician, a cardio-vascular surgeon gave me a parting gift as we said our goodbyes. It was a book he put together himself. It explained the 5 Mysteries of the Rosary. It also had numerous psalms, including the soldier's Psalm #91. That was one of the best gifts I could ever receive.

Tom

Kuwait

Sorry it has been awhile since I last added anything. During my travel, there were delays and I didn’t have access to the internet for about a week. Now I am settled and can back tract a bit.
We left Fort Bennings in the early evening. It was so secure it was almost eerie. Our plane was the only plane on the runway, for that matter the only plane in the entire airport for what I could see. We waited in a supped up hangar that was very nice. It had carpeting, lots of TV’s, big screens and an eating area. We landed in Shannon, Ireland to stretch our legs a bit, then onto Kuwait.
In Kuwait we spent about 3 days with training and presentations about cultures, things not to say or do. For instance to the Arabs, giving them the thumbs up is equivalent to giving them the middle finger. So that is a no-no. The OK sign is also bad, I don’t remember what it means, but I remember not do it.
I have no idea why anyone would want to live in Kuwait. I stayed at a camp that literally had nothing but sand and rocks. There are big burms all around to protect the place. I swear for the first 20 miles out of camp, there is not single vegetation around. No trees, scrubs, weeds or even a single blade of grass. At camp everything was dusty and hot. They did have a nice workout area though.
Very interesting, on the way to the airport, our rode crossed over the famous “Highway of Death” from the first Gulf War. That was the highway that the Iraqis tried to retreat on that our boys bombed the hell out of destroying everything that moved. That was about 1991 or so. In one section there is still a lot of twisted metal, parts of vehicles, rubber tires and scraps lying around. They are slowly scavenging these parts, but I am amazed how much still remains in certain sections. They just built a new road around the old blown up one and left the remains. At least I didn’t see any dead bodies still lying around.
At least the camp had some saving things worthwhile. Somehow, it the middle of a fickin desert, they built some American institutions. One place had great coffee. The other, well even though I couldn’t read the words, I knew what it was. Only Americans could have something like this in a desert.
Oh by the way, under lessons learned in Kuwait, I learned that don’t put a slice of cheese in your pocket for a snack later when it is 115 degrees outside. It turns to cheese spread real quick.
I will do another section about my trip from Kuwait to Iraq later.
Tom

So long, Fort Bennings, Georgia

My bags are packed and I am ready to go, at least mentally I think. Still not exactly sure where I am going however. I know in Iraq someplace. I hear Bagdad, then Mosul, so I don't really know. Oh well, I guess when I get there, I will just do my thing. We leave tomorrow, make a few stops and be in Kuwait early Sunday AM. I wonder if I will see MaryLou? My ipod is charged.

I will be thinking of all of you

Tom

Finn's

I appreciate everyone who came by Finn's to wish me well. Selina, you did a fabulous job and I had a great time, at least I remember the first part, the last part is a little hazy. I don't have any pics yet (which is probably a good thing), but I will get one in my signed scrub shirt and post it here. I am truely a lucky man
Tom

Stonegate

Chris, Norm, Joe, Marty, Carol, Norm, Sunna and Carol, Sharon and Larry. Thanks for the wonderful send off. I got a chance to wear the shirt. The Army also gave me this funny hat to wear. The picture was taken in front of our barracks. The next time I will try to wear in downtown Bagdad. I must admit that these houses don't compare to Stonegate

Mom's house

I also want to thank my mother, Aunt Barb and her family, for the wonderful send off at her place the Sunday before I left. It was truely great to see family and friends whom I haven't seen in a while. I have the Army flag but I didn't quite have enough room to bring it with me to Iraq.

Oops

By the way, I didn't mean to offend anyone, especially the ones I love. I also had 2 other special send offs, one with my family and friends from my old neighborhood, and one from Selina, my office and medically related friends. I don't have any photos yet (maybe it is a good thing I don't have any from Finn's without my shirt) but hopefully by next week, I can post those.
Sorry for not making that clear. I really appreciated all the work and efforts my family and friends did for me to send me off in style. I am so lucky to be blessed by so many.
Tom

R & R Party

Thanks to everyone who helped to send me off in true R & R fashion. I don't have very many pictures from that Saturday. Anyone want to email some, go ahead. It was a great time.

Shots

July 14, 2008
Only received 4 shots today. We received some of our equipment today, most importantly, got my Kevlar and assembled it. Tomorrow we get the good stuff, like our weapons and body amor (called IBA- individual body amor). Thursday, we play in the mud, crawl under barbed wire and they say blow off real bombs next to us, but hopefully, not too close. Friday we ship out.
Tom

Welcome to my blog. Hopefully, I will be able to keep this up to date while I am gone. I plan to post pictures and relate what is happening overseas.
Dr. Thomas Baier