I had the opportunity to spend 8 days at Camp Bullis in San Antonio, TX among some of the military's most experienced doctors and medics to learn a thing or two regarding trauma, its effects on our incredible military men and women, and what I can do to treat them in the unfortunate event that they are exposed to the disabling effects of war. Admittedly, I was a little anxious regarding more tests, more military decor, and less than desired living conditions. And while those were all present, the experience was priceless and one that will undoubtedly impact me in ways more than just a military physician.
Before going into the details of this experience, let me just say how incredibly impressed I am with the military men and women that fight for us. Their integrity and loyalty to us Americans, regardless of the cause/reason, place them among some of the most admirable in the world. The portrayal of the media, whether good or bad, of our military is far from the reality. These men and women don't just fight for us, but they sacrifice, they save, they care, and they emulate everything this great country is. Having the opportunity to serve with them is truly a blessing!
The week started off arriving in San Antonio on Thursday. We were bussed to Camp
Bullis, a very old Army Base that looks to have been around since WWII. It is now used as a training base for many of the services.
Upon arrival, we were briefed on what the week entailed and then were issued our gear. The gear consisted of a
kevlar helmet (10 lbs), flak jacket with ceramic plates (30 lbs), ruck sack filled with MOP gear,
Gortex outerwear, and canteens (30 lbs), a duffel bag, a sleeping bag, a poncho liner, and a pretend M-16 rifle. We would become very familiar with the weight of our gear as we had to carry it with us almost everywhere. And although it may not seem like much, 70+ lbs of gear can lead to quite a few sore muscles and joints...
more so than I ever would have imagined.
Next we were introduced to our housing situation. It truly was a situation. We were housed in barracks that had 6 bunk beds. Mattresses were hard and had to have the plastic sack that they were shipped in left on them to protect from human stuff. That meant that
every time someone moved, we would wake up to the crinkling of the plastic. We were required to bunk with coeds which meant more than just having to get undressed and dressed in front of each other.
The barracks were about 200 yards from the bathrooms. Don't
worry, they were gender specific. But that was the extent of the privacy they provided. Doors must have been non existent in 1940. Doing your business and taking a shower meant doing it with 6 other people. Absolutely no privacy.
Although there was a dining facility, we ate only about 30% of our meals there. Otherwise, we ate
MREs. My favorite, the veggie burger...I know, it doesn't sound great but it really was.
Finally, we were introduced to our
PI's (Platoon Instructors), HM1 Coleman and
SSgt Koeller, and the rest of 2
nd Platoon. Our platoon instructors were responsible for getting us to and from each location and were also involved in our instruction. I was chosen, in a seemingly random way, to be the Platoon Leader. I was called up by HM1 Coleman and asked if I had leadership experience. I answered in the affirmative but explained that it may not be in the capacity he was thinking. I was then asked if I knew how to march. To which I responded that I did not. He replied, "Well then, I guess we are just going to have to make this work." And so there I was. As the PL, I had to be the one to make sure everybody in the 2nd Platoon was ready to go, in order, and marching from place to place.
The schedule essentially went like this: Wake up call at 0500, formation at 0630, lectures until 0800, bus to our training location for the day, train, and then return to the barracks at 1900. Meals were fit in where we could fit them. Hot meals were desired, but the reality was
MREs.
Friday and Saturday involved Advanced Trauma Life Support training at Fort Sam Houston. Instructors included Active Duty and Retired Trauma Surgeons and ER docs. All had experience with deployment and shared their experiences of dealing with the horrible impact of war on the bodies of our military men and women. Instruction included PowerPoint presentations and skills labs. This training was absolutely top notch. In one experience, the Army sent in 1000
soldiers, had 169 casualties, but only 16 fatalities due to the skills learned in this course. The reality is that we are losing fewer and fewer men and women simply because of the training of our medics and physicians in courses like this.
On Sunday, we took our
ATLS certification test which included a multiple choice test and a practical exam with a simulated trauma experience. Thankfully, I passed and am now considered an
ATLS certified doc! Although I am not sure what value the certification has, I am thankful for the training and what it could mean for me in saving lives. On that note, I haven't taken the time to express how humbling it is to know that I have been blessed with the skills, talents, and knowledge to truly have life saving capabilities. I consider it a significant blessing to be able to serve people in general and be able to alleviate pain, cure disease, and in some cases save lives. Certainly my church membership, my
Priesthood, and my testimony in my Savior keep me grounded in understanding the source of these healing powers. Kelly gave me a picture of the Savior that says "I would learn the Healer's art". Much of the efforts I put forth are to be able to be worthy to be a channel through which the Healer's peace can be transmitted.
Monday morning started the real "fun". After forming up at 0630, we made our way to the armoured personnel carriers which would take us to the Field. The Field is a large expanse of Camp
Bullis wilderness set up in different evolutions which would act as simulators of real world experiences. Simulated Mid East cities, dirt roads,
FOBs (Forward Operating Bases), aid stations, and C-130 crash sites were some of the evolutions where we would learn to identify, and then respond to trauma situations. Sometimes this meant rescuing
Afghanis from
Taliban attack.
Other times it meant rescuing downed American pilots while being surrounded by Al
Queda fighters. We had to
successfully triage, treat and transport 30+ patients in a mass casualty. Once we had to pull American
soldiers from a burning truck that was a victim to a roadside
IED and then treat those victims behind the protection of a retaining wall. Lastly, we had to carry injured
soldiers through the rough and hilly Afghan terrain to the FOB 1/2 mile from our location. We went over walls, under barbed wire, through draining pipes, all while evading the enemy, carrying 200 lb victims, and carrying 70+ lbs of gear on our backs. Oh yeah, and the only 2 days of rain in the last 6 months
occurred while we were in the dirt which really meant 2-3 inches of mud. This process repeated itself on Tuesday and Wednesday. Each morning, when I awoke at 0500, my body reminded me of what is meant to be a member of the US Military.
Wednesday night we were rewarded Liberty which means we could leave Camp
Bullis and experience San Antonio. I joined a couple of bunk mates and took a taxi into San Antonio down to the
Riverwalk to get some Mexican food and enjoy the night life. What an awesome place the
Riverwalk is! There was tons of excitement, great
ambiance, good food, and good people. After eating, we walked around and made our way to the Alamo. Not that impressive. Finally, we took a taxi back to Camp
Bullis.
Thursday was graduation. Out of the 90+ "students" there, the Platoon Instructors choose 3 to receive an Award for Excellence. I was one of those three. I received a military coin for that honor. We packed up our barracks, turned in our gear, cleaned the bathrooms, and then took a bus back to the airport.
Once again, I am thankful for the experiences that the military offers. C4 certainly was an experience that will forever affect the way that I practice medicine. The USAF certainly has put me in a place to master the Healer's art offering top notch training.
Additionally, I know the USAF will provide many opportunities to serve great men and women throughout the world.
*** Note from Kelly: So yes, we all know I'm a picture person. And when Preston left he was under strict instructions to pretty please use his phone to quickly grab us a few pictures of what he was up to. I wasn't expecting much, just at least a little something in order to not be too demanding. No, he did not follow those simple and easy instructions. In fact I text nagged him on several occasions when I realized he was not being obedient. He does realize who he is married to. However, the only pictures he came home with on his phone came to a grand total of TWO. And to make matters worse one was of the toilets and the other one was so not important that I can't even remember what it was of. Very very very luckily for him they had someone going around taking pictures and they sent them home with a CD. That was his saving grace. Booger.
