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Mon Jul 30 16:58:10 BST 2007

Ditto. 

My dad served in the Philippines and New Guinea. Never spoke about it until
my son asked him some questions for a school report a few years ago. The he
opened up. "Saving Private Ryan" and "Flags of Our Fathers" were not as
gripping.  All sorts of stories and recollections....snipers in palm trees,
living in rain for weeks, trying to figure out how to go to the bathroom w/o
getting shot, injuring his back piling into a foxhole, the fear of listening
to crabs scurrying on the coral at night and not knowing if it were the
enemy. My son asked him about Truman's decision to drop "the bomb" on Japan.
He replied that seeing as how his unit was slated to be one of the first to
land, he thought it was a pretty good idea. I had never known how close I
came to not being born! 

Now we are at war again, except almost no one seems to know it or feel it
other than the servicemen and families involved. There doesn't seem to be
any collective or shared sacrifice. What will our childrens' children think
looking back at our generation? 

Jeff Hammond
New Brunswick, NJ

-----Original Message-----
From: trauma-list-bounces at trauma.org [mailto:trauma-list-bounces at trauma.org]
On Behalf Of Ronald Gross
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2007 11:37 AM
To: 'Trauma &amp; Critical Care mailing list'
Subject: Re: Soon To Be Gone - From A Military Trauma Doctor

I was just "talking" to Rob Smith about this piece, and I will send to y'all
what I just wrote to him:

My Dad died 2 years ago at the age of 84 - he was a master sgt in the Army
Air Corps during WWII and never talked about his experiences - until shortly
before he died.  he talked and I cried, because I realized what he and his
commrades had endured - and somehow survived.  I truly believe that we, as a
nation and as a civilization  owe everything to men like him.

I, for one, will be eternally greatful that he was my Dad - and my hero!

Ron

Nuff said.
>>> "PA Blaine Carmichael" <bcarmichael at satx.rr.com> 7/23/2007 9:44 PM 
>>> >>>
The following essay, sans pictures, appears on the following web site:

http://www.rb-29.net/HTML/63erdoctor.htm 

( Won't be Long and They Will  All be Gone)

>From a Military Doctor:

I am a doctor specializing in the Emergency Departments of the only two
military Level One-Trauma Centers, both in San Antonio, TX and they care for
civilian Emergencies as well as military personnel. San Antonio has the
largest military retiree population in the world living here.  As a military
doctor, I work long hours and the pay is less than glamorous. One tends to
become jaded by the long hours, lack of sleep, food, family contact and the
endless parade of human suffering passing before you.  The arrival of
another ambulance does not mean more pay, only more work.

Most often, it is a victim from a motor vehicle crash.

Often it is a person of dubious character who has been shot or stabbed. With
our large military retiree population, it is often a nursing home patient.
Even with my enlisted service and minimal combat experience in Panama, I
have caught myself groaning when the ambulance brought in yet another sick,
elderly person from one of the local retirement centers that cater to
military retirees. I had not stopped to think of what citizens of this age
group represented.

I saw "Saving Private Ryan." I was touched deeply. Not so much by the
carnage, but by the sacrifices of so many. I was touched most by the scene
of the elderly survivor at the graveside, asking his wife if he'd been a
good man. I realized that I had seen these same men and women coming through
my Emergency Dept. and had not realized what magnificent sacrifices they had
made. The things they did for me and everyone else that has lived on this
planet since the end of that conflict are priceless.

Situation permitting, I now try to ask my patients about their experiences.
They would never bring up the subject without the inquiry. I have been
privileged to an amazing array of experiences, recounted in the brief
minutes allowed in an Emergency Dept. encounter. These experiences have
revealed the incredible individuals I have had the honor of serving in a
medical capacity, many on their last admission to the hospital.

  There was a frail, elderly woman who reassured my young enlisted medic,
trying to start an IV line in her arm. She remained calm and poised, despite
her illness and the multiple needle-sticks into her fragile veins. She was
what we call a "hard stick." As the medic made another attempt, I noticed a
number tattooed across her forearm.  I touched it with one finger and looked
into her eyes.  She simply said, "Auschwitz."  Many of later generations
would have loudly and openly berated the young medic in his many attempts.
How different was the response from this person who'd seen unspeakable
suffering.

Also, there was this long retired Colonel, who as a young officer had
parachuted from his burning plane over a Pacific Island held by the
Japanese. Now an octogenarian, he had a minor cut on his head from a fall at
his home where he lived alone. His CT scan and suturing had been delayed
until after midnight by the usual parade of high priority ambulance
patients. Still spry for his age, he asked to use the phone to call a taxi,
to take him home, then he realized his ambulance had brought him without his
wallet. He asked if he could use the phone to make a long distance call to
his daughter who lived 7 miles away. With great pride we told him that he
could not, as he'd done enough for his country and the least we could do was
get him a taxi home, even if we had to pay for it ourselves. My only regret
was that my shift wouldn't end for several hours, and I couldn't drive him
myself.

I was there the night MSgt. Roy Benavidez came through the Emergency Dept.
for the last time. He was very sick. I was not the doctor taking care of
him, but I walked to his bedside and took his hand. I said nothing. He was
so sick, he didn't know I was there. I'd read his Congressional Medal of
Honor citation and wanted to shake his hand. He died a few days later.

The gentleman who served with Merrill's Marauders,

the survivor of the Bataan Death March,

the survivor of Omaha Beach

the 101 year old World War I veteran

the former POW held in frozen North Korea,

the former Special Forces medic - now with non-operable liver cancer

the former Viet Nam Corps Commander.

I remember these citizens

I may still groan when yet another ambulance comes in, but now I am much
more aware of what an honor it is to serve these particular men and women.

  I have seen a Congress who would turn their back on these individuals
who've sacrificed so much to protect our liberty. I see later generations
that seem to be totally engrossed in abusing these same liberties, won with
such sacrifice.

  It has become my personal endeavor to make the nurses and young enlisted
medics aware of these amazing individuals when I encounter them in our
Emergency Dept. Their response to these particular citizens has made me
think that perhaps all is not lost in the next generation.

  My experiences have solidified my belief that we are losing an incredible
generation, and this nation knows not what it is losing. Our uncaring
government and ungrateful civilian populace should all take note. We should
all remember that we must "Earn this."

Written By
CPT. Stephen R. Ellison, M.D. USArmy 

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Soon To Be Gone - From A Military Trauma Doctor