My trip back started last Friday at 2100. We had to go through customs and dump out our 3 duffel bags completely and make sure we aren’t bringing back any illegal articles. We stayed in lock down until about 5 PM the on Saturday where we started our process for going to the airport. We stopped at Liepich, Germany for 2 hour layover. It was cold there. It was in the 90’s when we left Kuwait. I could see my breath when we stepped off the plane in Germany. It might be a cold, very cold winter for me after the 120 degree days.
For the most part, my deployment was better than I expected. I was fortunate to have been stationed in Mosul. We had a small, tight group. The other providers were great to work with. I would gladly repeat a tour with this group anytime. If I was in Bagdad, there would have been a lot of politics and policies. Yes, even in a war zone that stuff exists. There is way too much brass there all trying to do something to leave their mark. I guess I would never make it in politics.
I experienced every emotion possible. I had enjoyable times and a lot of laughs. I also fought back tears when I stood at attention for the Angel Flights. Unfortunately, that was more than once. I experienced anguish when I had to do an amputation. I also had great joy when I saw one of my patients in the news, knowing I did something to help him. I learned a lot about Iraq. I talked with one of the sergeants whose brigade killed Hussein’s 2 sons in Mosul back in 2003. It took a lot longer than the press showed. I saw soldiers laugh. I saw soldiers cry. The high point of my trip was to see my son grown up, leading and training fellow troops. He makes me proud to be his father and to be an American.
I also feel that I accomplished some of my goals. I joined the Army because I wanted to help our troops and also help our country fight against terrorism. I am too old to be an infantry man like my son, but I have specialized skills to offer. I have mixed feelings about the intensity of what I did. At first I felt like I could do a lot more. I saw a lot of combat wounds and learned a lot about their specialized care. I thought that I should have been a lot busier, but for me to be busier would have meant a lot more suffering and injuries to our troops. I definitely did not want to see that. They did need a lot of non-surgical orthopedic care. They did need an Orthopedists to evaluate them and treat their knee or shoulder or back injuries. They had a lot of injuries like I see everyday in my practice back home. So I feel that I did contribute to helping these soldiers even though it wasn’t a lot of battle wounds.
I leave with mixed emotions. I am ready to go home. It has been long time. I am anxious to see my family and friends. I also feel a little guilty. I see the other soldiers having to spend 6 or 12 or even 15 months compared to my 3. I feel like I should spend more time in Iraq. I also have commitments back home that I also need to take care of.
This will be my last entry into my blog since my deployment is complete. I want to say thanks to everyone who had supported me. I received many care packages and emails. I know it was a lot harder on people whom I left at home than it was for me.
I want to end this with a special note. This is something I learned in my basic training. It is called the Soldier’s Creed.
“ I am an American Soldier
I am a Warrior and a member of a team
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army value
I will always place the mission first
I will never accept defeat
I will never quit
I will never leave a fallen comrade
I am an American Soldier”
I am proud to be an American and an American Soldier.
Tom
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