When all else fails

Chapter 10

I step off the plane in Kuwait we where all told that we where going to be here for a week as our bodies acclimate to the weather. I barely take 3 steps and I am already sweating. Its like standing in the sun on a 100-degree day with a blow dryer on hi in your face. We are all filed onto busses to make the drive to the base.

After our week we get loaded up on the military transports to cross the border into Iraq and up to our base. The drive up besides being way to long was completely uneventful. When we arrive at our base, my company is assigned 3 tents and I find my bunk with my squad.

"god doc this damn heat is killing me" Patrick says to me

"I know that's the damn truth" I say as I chuckle.

That day and night was uneventful. We where woken with explosions all around. As I roll out of my bunk I am throwing on my gear on and out the tent. I see where the explosions are going off and fallow my squad in away from them. When the mortars stop falling on the base I run towards where they had landed to help who I could. Luckily, they had all landed in an empty part of the base and no one was injured.

"well that was one way to wake up" I say with a sigh as I walk into the tent.

"Definitely not the good morning I wanted to experience" Patrick says behind me. We head in and drop off the gear we normally don't need on base. Our squad Sargent comes in the tent in a rush.

"Squad form up!" he shouts fast walking towards us. We all fall in line and wait for what he has to say. "as you are all well aware, we were just attacked. It now falls on our company to start regular patrols around the base. We pulled the short straw and are up first so gear up. Meet me out front of the tent in 10." He turns and heads to his tent to get himself ready.

"Damn there goes getting a little breakfast." I mumble "Remember guys fill your camel backs with water before we head out. I don't want to you to fall out as we are out there." I tell the squad as I turn to my gear and start throwing it on. In less then 10 minuets we where all geared up and in formation. We load up in a pair of 5-ton trucks and head out the base. We go about a mile from the gate when they stop, we disembark and start our patrol. Our patrol rout takes us around the base a mile out. Slowly working our way around clearing where we need to.

We found where they launched the mortars from and destroyed the tubes. It took us most of the day to finish out patrol and thankfully it went easy. No one was on the streets, or as soon as they saw us the moved away with a purpose. We finish our patrol marching through the gates. As we make our way to the tent. I quickly evaluate everyone making sure they are still sound. I remind everyone to hydrate as we head in.

I drop my gear and literally flop into my bunk. "hey doc lets go get some chow" Patrick says as he sits in his bunk right next to mine.

"god that sounds amazing, that and sleep." I say as I sit up. We stand and head to the cow hall. We have a lunch if you can call it that. It was at least food. When we get back to the tent I lay in my bunk and shut my eyes for a few. About an hour later I get up and head over to the BAS to check in and see how everything is going there.

On my way back I decided to stop by the phone center to give Carol a call. I talked to her for about half an hour. We talked about mandarin things as I couldn't tell her too much about what was going on. As we where wrapping up our conversation, we said our said we loved each other, and I promised to try to call weekly.

After the call I headed to the chow hall to eat dinner. Then off to the tent to sleep the night away. The next morning, I was able to get up and into the chow hall for breakfast before we headed out for our patrol. I get back to the tent gear up and check my med pack to make sure I still have everything I need. I remind everyone to refill their water. And am told that I don't need to remind them all the time. We all have a little laugh about it as it was all done in jest.

We load up onto the 5-tons again and head out. We get off not far from where we departed the day before. Our patrol rout is a little different and all goes well for about an hour. Then all hell breaks loose. We start taking fire and with the first round we find the closest cover we could and begin to return fire.

I find myself crouched behind a waist high brick wall. As I rise to return fire, I feel chips from the bricks peppering me I pop off a couple rounds doing what I can to aim where the shots are coming from. I am finally able to aim at a shooter and I drop him. Then duck back down. As I drop, I see Patrick move positions crossing an open area in the process. As he enters, he falls and slides a little to his left. I rise again and fire and take another shooter out. As I come back down to reload, I hear "CORPSMAN UP!!!!" and my heart stops for a second. One of my guys was hit. I look over to where the call came from and still see Patrick where he had fell.

I dash over to him placing myself between the fire and him. I roll him over and instantly see the blood coming from his right shoulder. From a quick look I can tell he was hit by a round and it went from his back and out his front. I quickly cut his BDU to get a better look at the wound. I notice bubbles in the blood that tells me his lung was punctured. He reaches up and grabs my flack jacket "Doc, how bad."

I interrupt him "Patrick let me work you will be just fine." I quickly wrap the front wound as it was larger with an occlusive dressing. Preventing any air flow in or out and keeping it clean. I do the same to the back but leave one side open allowing air out but not in.

As I rise to drag him further behind cover, I feel this sharp stabbing in my back as my legs turn to jelly under me. I collapse and fall over to my right side next to Patrick. As I land my mind explodes with pain. Its like my abdomen is being ripped apart and being pulled out of me. "Doc, Doc you good" Patrick asks. I try to speak but nothing comes out all I can do is shake my head. I hear Patrick call out, "DOC'S DOWN"

Nextthing I know one of my guys is dragging Patrick to safety, and another isgrabbing my arms to pull me along as well. "Don't worry Doc we got you" As hestarts pulling the world goes black and I pass out.