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Emails from Iraq...first one, 26 September, no edits except to remove some personal names...

Hello all,

I apologise to those that I have not contacted, but I thought I would give everyone an update as to where I am and what I am up to.

After a week of travel, we arrived to [edit] AB, Iraq. It is 52 miles north of Baghdad. They gave us 6 hrs to sleep and then we started working. I am working 4 12 hour shift and then get a day off...and so on. The weather is very dry and dusty. Temp has been around 105. Not bad since it is dry and not humid.

I am living in a trailer that is divided into 3 rooms. Each room is 12x12 and 2 people live in each room. To use the bathroom, from my door I can go right for 150 yards (the better showers) or left 100 yds, (ugh). Doesn't help when you wake up and your bladder is ful and you gotta go. We have to always be wearing a uniform. To work our BDU's and elsewhere we can where our military PT gear. No civilian clothes allowed.

All the trailers have sandbags around them and then big concrete barriers. We get mortered every once in a while. My roommate works days and I work nights which makes it nice. There are 4 dining facilities around and they have pretty good chow. One is better than all the rest but you have to take a bus or walk for an hour by the perimeter. I do that on e on my days off. I am fortunate that my pod (trailer area) is right next to the gym and the rec center as well as the laundry. I have been working out alot and on M-W F have been playing basketball after I get off work. I am not very good, but I have fun. Today I made another basket :>).

Work is awesome. I work in the intermediate care ward and run to traumas when they have them if I can. We talk care of the ones that come right out of ICU or anything less. I have taken care of some heros and even the bad guys. I have had the opportunity to take care of a VIP as well. What you see on CNN is what we take care of. They bring them from all over Iraq. We get kids here too. I love the feeling I get taking care of these guys (good ones) and knowing I am actually doing something good, making a difference in someones life, regardless of the outcome. The nurses I work with are great and the techs spectacular. I could not be luckier.

All in all I miss my family, friends and home, but don't worry about me...all is well. They have most everything we need here except for the hugs.

I miss all of you and I will write again soon.

Love,

[edit]
(mom)

The update, dated 25 October

Well Hello All,

6 weeks down and approximately 11.5 left. It has been truly busy here for the last couple of weeks. We have at times had more patients than beds, and of course had to get creative. I have been fortunate I guess to take care of more seriously injured patients that should have been in the ICU, but because of bed status we get them.

Staying busy as well going to the gym. I laugh with [edit] since I think I have worked out more and longer in the last 6 weeks than I have in the last 15 years. Hum....maybe I will finally get some abs, or small thighs. LOL. Just something to do other than sleep or work.

Life has been interesting still trying to manage the run...or what we call it, the pee pee dance to the "cadillac" (toilets). I have to say though that one can gain some weight here if they wanted. The dining facilties outside of the hospital is run like a cruise ship. On Wednesday nights its Alaskan king crabs and shrimp Yummmmmmmm the shrimp is actually edible. One day a wekk they have German nite, Indian Night and Mongolian nite.

We have had only one bad day so far. We were sitting eating breakfast and there was a big explosion. Outside the gate a car bomb went off and then alot of gun fire. Though it sounds dangerous, I have to tell you I feel very secure here on post. This weekend I will try and get some pictures taken of around the base and see if I can send any. No one has been very successful in sending pictures out since the email acts like dial-up and there are so many restrictions.

My patients have been good. Some good days in care and some bad days. Had a patient with 94% burns that I had to care for. Not fun at all. Sad day. We had a military person pass befor he arrived to our ER and what they do here is call a "Fallen Angel" and everyone goes to the ER an stands at attention, a flag is draped over the remains and we all salute as they are pushed through the ER.

Where we are is a helopad outside the emergency room and between it is a tunnel that has an American Flag that is about 20 x 40 feet for the ceiling. All injured that come off a helicopter (the only way to get here) go through that tunnel...it is called, "Hero's Highway". Very emotional regardless of the situation. I will try to get a picture of it.

In my little spare time too I have been trying to finish one of my grad school classes. Ugh.

The weather continues to be nice and I love looking at the stars at night. It is so odd to see such beauty of sunsets and sunrises and to know there is so much violence right outside the base. There is dirt, dirt and more dirt, very little trees, but it was so cool to see an oleander with one small flower trying to burst out.

I miss my family more than I know how to express and can't wait to get home.

Hope you guys don't mind hearing of my time here, but I figured it would be a small bit of news from me instead of nothing.

Hugs to all of you!

[edit]

Great job, young lady...godspeed.