A Surgeon on the Front Line
Was there a toughest day?
It's strange--they all kind of blended together. We called it "Groundhog Day," because each day was like the next. I was there six months, and it never once rained. You see the same injuries come in the door every day. One day, I did four or five amputations; that was the worst. You know that you have to do the amputation because you can't repair it, but it's not feel-good surgery. It gets old.
That had to be physically and emotionally exhausting. What did you do for a break?
We had cigar night every night on the hospital roof. That was a big stress reliever. There were several groups that would go work out. There was a pool you could go to. Outside of that, there was not a whole lot you could do. Nonalcoholic beer and stogies were the main thing. It's not the place to go for entertainment.
You signed up with the Army to help pay for medical school, way before the Iraq war started. Was this more than you bargained for?
I have no regrets. Back then, the timing looked better. But you never know. Deployment in a war zone is a life-changing experience for the better, if you survive it. Everything is sweeter when you come back--to see how life is in other places and to see how lucky you are to come back with all your parts. You realize the more important things in life, like family.
Do you have a family?
My wife's expecting our first child in August.
The documentary producers followed you and your colleagues for two months. Do you think they captured your experience accurately?
I haven't seen the film yet, so I don't know how it comes across. It certainly shows there's a high price to pay for war. That's the take-home point. The question is, is it worth it? I don't think that answer will come for generations to come. I can only hope that the sacrifices in life and limb being made by Americans will be worth it, that their sacrifices will save hundreds of thousands of lives down the line, in a more stable Middle East.
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