Day 66: War Games

This week we have been training and preparing for mounted combat patrols (MCP). An MCP consists of leaving base in a group of armored vehicles with mounted weapons and accomplishing some kind of mission. It is much more than simply moving from point A to point B. We learn to assure that we have adequate communication between those in the patrol and headquarters. We practice scenarios in which we are ambushed or hit with explosive devices. We simulate injuries and loss of equipment and how we would deal with these circumstances. Basically, we think of everything that could happen while we are on patrol and try to come up with an organized and safe way to deal with each possible scenario. Tomorrow we go out and are tested on our all of these skills in a real life practical exercise. So in preparation, we went up to the MCP simulator this afternoon. The simulator is like a big video game. We get in our vehicles, surrounded by big screen televisions, and drive around on patrol. The technology actually was pretty good. We could see people walking by, vehicles approaching, bombs going off, helicopters flying by, etc. We also could fire on targets with both large and small weapons. It was pretty realistic and a good exercise. Hopefully it will help us do well on our real MCP tomorrow.

A look from inside the simulator

One of the lab specialists practicing his shot

Day 64: Wounded in Action

One...Two...Three...Go, Go, Go!!!

The door is kicked in and 5 armed soldiers tactically enter the room to clear it of all enemies. From room to room they go, barely noticed, and never placing themselves in sight of the enemy. Within several minutes the building is clear and secure. The soldiers move onto the next building.

This is how it was supposed to go. Instead it went something like this:

One...Two...Three...Go.

The door is gently opened, 5 Navy nurses and doctors enter the room, one trips and falls upon entry, and the other 4 struggle to climb over their fallen comrade. They are all immediately shot by the enemy and fall to the ground.


Yes, today was house clearing day. What normal soldiers spend weeks and months training in, we spent 3 hours doing. After our brief training, we were then sent on a suicide mission to clear a building with two terrorists (expert army marksmen) inside. To make things even more fun, we modified our weapons to shoot little rubber rounds designed not to kill, but instead to cause significant pain and injury. On our first go around the two terrorists quickly took out everyone but three of our guys. On the second round we did a little better, but I am sad to say I didn't make it--I was taken out while leading the charge up the stairs.

Below you can see some of our battle wounds. Mine is the leg you see (sorry ladies, I am already taken) and the arm is our blood bank specialist who really got hit hard.

Day 63: Remembrance

In 1918, World War I or the Great War had ended leaving in its wake a trail of death and suffering. It is estimated that the United States suffered over 300,000 casualities (a relatively small number compared to the millions suffered by Germany, Britain, and Russia).

As the US entered the war, it built training sites for its soldiers. One of the largest training sites completed was Camp Funston which was finished in 1917. Nearly 50,000 soldiers were trained here in preparation for their journey to Europe to fight in the War to End All Wars. Today, thousands more are being trained for a different battle. War has changed much since 1918. However, the fight against those who would take away our freedom, still has a painful price that must be paid. To date over 4000 soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our country in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As we remember those who have served and defended our liberty, in the past and now, we honor their sacrifice and pay tribute to their service. I am grateful for this great country that we live in. It isn't perfect. However, I know that it was founded by a wise and loving Father as a place where freedom could grow and His work could go forth. As I finish my last week of training here at Camp Funston, I am proud to be part of a legacy started here in 1917. I hope that we will never forget their sacrifice.

There is a monument on Camp Funston, built in 1918, in honor of those who trained here during WWI. Today I went on a walk out to the monument. Below are some pictures of the monument and some of surrounding Camp Funston.

The Funston Monument

Camp Funston 1918 (above) and present (below)

Funston headquarters in 1918 (above) and remnants today (below)

A few friends I found along my walk today

Day 62: Where are the M&M's?

MRE stands for Meals Ready to Eat. The name is pretty self explanatory--the military has prepared food that can be eaten with no preparation. The "main dish" is heated with a flameless heater. Basically, water is poured into a bag which then reacts with certain chemicals causing the water to boil and heat your food. Besides the main dish, there are typically crackers, bread, some kind of fruit/vegetable, and dessert. If you were to eat a complete MRE, you would take in about 1200 to 1400 calories. We usually eat them on days when we are away from "home" and can't get to the cafeteria. Here is a list of some of your possible meals choices...

Spaghetti with Meatballs
Clam Chowder
Meatloaf
Roast Beef
Beef Enchilada
Egg and Cheese Omelot
Jumbalaya
Chicken Breast
Cheese Tortillini

Sounds pretty good, don't you think? Well actually, most of the meals are quite disgusting. I usually have to be nearly famished before I will try one. However, there is one reason I sometimes open the MRE. Every once in a while you will get a bag of M&M's for dessert in your dinner. It is my main reason for every opening one of these hideous meals. Tonight in fact I opened 5 packages searching for the coveted M&M's. Unfortanately, luck was not with me. I had to settle for the "Raspberry White Chip Cookie"--sounds good, tastes terrible.



I will try to remember to bring a few home with me in August so you can all try a sample!

Day 61: Kicking Down Doors

Imagine the report on CNN--5 Navy doctors raid insurgent hideout; all enemy combatants destroyed. Okay, so you will never see this I know. We are going to Afghanistan for a different mission. However, here at Fort Riley the medical personnel are a small percentage of the trainees that are coming through. Consequently, some of the training does not really directly apply to us. I guarantee you that they will never call me to go clear out a building suspected to be housing terrorists--they would have to be very desperate or crazy. Even though some of this stuff doesn't really apply to us, we still get to play along and do the training. So yesterday, we went out on the range and practiced short range markmanship. Basically, we practice shooting our weapons while walking or turning around, while hiding behind houses or vehicles, or from very short distances. These are skills you typically would use in close combat situations--stuff I better never see. It was somewhat fun...but mostly hot. Monday, I get a chance to put the skills I practiced today to use and pretend I am on a SWAT team kicking down doors and clearing houses. Should be fun.

Day 59: A Tribute to the Stache

Tom Selleck, Charlie Chaplin, Ghandi, Mr. Miyagi and now me. Like those who preceded me, I am now the proud wearer of a mustache. For just over 2 weeks now my "stache" has been growing and now the hard work is starting to pay off.

Many criticize or stereotype those who choose to wear lip fur. Some say it isn't in style (at least not since the 70's), others say it is dirty (alright I admit it often retains food or other foreign objects), and others say that it resembles one of a variety of different animals. The nicknames are many--cookieduster, pushbroom, flavor saver, soupstrainer, and nose neighbor. But those who dare wear a lip tickler and face the mockery of their friends and loved ones, are rewarded in ways that are difficult to measure.

In honor of those who now wear, or ever have worn a "misplaced eyebrow", I have created the following video:



If you are considering wearing a mustache after reading this blog, I have found a good link showing what you might look like. Abbie volunteered to demonstrate (it was going to be Sue but I was afraid of the possible retaliation).

http://www.petmoustache.com/singing_telegram.html?hash=7d1e473&a=true

Day 58: Final Exam

Over the past few months we have been transformed from doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and hospital administrators to something that is supposed to resemble a US Army soldier. Today, we went out in the incredibly hot and humid Kansas sun, to be tested on some of our skills. Below are the results.

FOB Jawad.
This is the tent city where we did our testing today. To arrive here we drove in convoy. Along the route, our convoy was attacked by several "insurgents" with AK-47's. During our training convoys, we are often "attacked" by both insurgents with weapons and simulated IED's (improvised explosive devices) to help prepare us for potential threats once we arrive in Afghanistan.

IED station. We have been trained in recognizing, avoiding, and potentially defeating improvised explosive devices. These have become more popular methods of attack in Afghanistan so it is important we can fight them.
Blue Force Tracker. This is like having google earth in your Humvee. It is connected to a GPS unit and shows you your location, your enemies location, sends reports, etc.
M2 review. This is one of our large machine guns. We were tested on its operation, assembly, disassembly, etc.
I was tasked with the radio station. We load encryption keys into a radio and then make secure transmissions that are harder for the enemy to listen in on.
Combat Life Saver--basic emergency life saving skills. Here one of our hospital administrators is checking a patient for an open chest wound.
Waiting in the heat!
The HIDE machine. This is a device used to keep track of potential and known insurgents. As you can see above, it is designed to take iris scans, fingerprints, mugshots, etc. Once a person is "enrolled" it is electronically transferred to a central US database.
The drive home. 100 degree weather, full battle rattle, windows up and no AC.

Day 57: A Fallen Star

Fifth grade was probably the peak of my basketball career. I was as tall, if not taller than most of my peers. Speed wise I could keep up with almost anyone. I could play any position--center, forward, or guard. I had a deadly jump shot. Defenders would be frozen in their tracks by my intimidating presence (or maybe they were just scared of my abnormally large buck teeth).

As the years progressed, my height, speed, and overall abilities slowly diminished. In 8th grade I was still a starter on the school team. By 9th grade I had become a "key" reserve off the bench. Finally, by the time my sophomore year rolled around, I was a full-fledged bench warmer. Yes, my glory days were over. And from there the decline only accelerated. A decade and a half later, I am now married, have 4 kids, have finished both an undergraduate degree and medical school, and endured 3 years of spending most of my time in the hospital during residency. Needless to say, my belly is a little larger, my "hops" are non-existent, and my shooting percentage has dropped to the low-teens.

However, that doesn't keep my from trying. Since arriving at Ft. Riley, I have been able to get a group of guys on my team to go down and play some basketball during our free evenings. We have fun and it is a good workout. There are lots of airballs. Getting "air" consists of somebody tripping (usually on their own feet) and we rarely are able to play more than one game to 15 due to exhaustion.


It is funny how in the mind of a man, the glory days never have ended. From an outsiders view, it is nothing more than a bunch of thirty-something men playing some "game" that vaguely resembles basketball. To us, however, it is like we are back in our prime...back in 5th grade...reliving the glory days.

Day 56: Homesick

Don't worry about the title of this post--I'm not depressed, I'm not about to throw myself from the balcony, and I'm not about to jump in front of a moving bus. In fact everything here at Ft. Riley is good. Sometimes, like everyone who is away from home, I just feel a little homesick.

I miss my wife--her smile, her never wanting to go to bed even though she is dead tired, her always wanting to stay up late with me and watch a movie (even though we only fall asleep), her love for her kids and willingness to sacrifice for them, her tears and emotion which she doesn't try to hide, her testimony of her Savior.

I miss my Abbie--her amazing "brains", her never being able to tell a lie without smiling, her "I didn't fall asleep at all last night" stories, her liking to play basketball with me, her ability to instantly make friends with anyone, her beautiful prayers.

I miss my Ellie--her grin and uncontrollable laugh, her complete honesty even when she has been naughty, her creativity and amazing artwork, her wiggles that I can tell are so hard for her to control at times, her cutting her own hair, her pure, sweet spirit.

I miss my Eden--her tiny, little, cute, midget self, her wanting so bad to keep up with her big sisters, her blossoming language skills that still are hard to understand, her love of Mickey Mouse, her tears and sadness when someone corrects her, her little hand holding mine.

I miss my Ammon boy--his always wanting dad to change his diapers (at least that is what Sue says he wants), his sweet kisses, his two favorite words--dad and ball, his chubbiness, his always wanting to be with dad.

Today I was looking at some pictures from 2005. It is amazing how quickly my little ladies have changed since then. It made me a little sad for the things I am missing, but happy that I have been blessed with such a wonderful family.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Marvin J. Ashton said, "There is a certain kind of yearning for home we should never want to lose. Home should be an anchor, a port in a storm, a refuge, a happy place in which to dwell, a place where we are loved and where we can love. Home should be where life’s greatest lessons are taught and learned. Home and family can be the center of one’s earthly faith, where love and mutual responsibility are appropriately blended. Thinking of home with its pleasant and happy memories can make us stronger during our present and future days here upon the earth."

My family and the happy memories I have had with them, will be a source of strength for me as I continue on this journey. There will be more lonely days ahead. However, ultimately these 452 days will pass and I will be with them again. Someday (hopefully in a very, very long time) this life will end for each of us. I can't imagine the depth of loneliness and homesickness that would be felt if I couldn't be with my family again. I am grateful for the knowledge I have that I can be with my Susie, Abbie, Ellie, Eden and Ammon forever after this life is through. I love you guys!

Day 55: Boy Scout Flashback

When I was a kid, I was first a Cub Scout and then a Boy Scout. Eventually I was able to progress in scouting and earn my Eagle Scout (or maybe my mom earned it...regardless, I somehow ended up with the award).


I have many memories of scouting--some good and some not so good. I remember one of the scouts (we'll call him Ken) being locked in the outhouse for a prolonged period of time. Once he was released he attacked his captors and their tents with a knife (don't worry, there weren't any injuries except to the tent). There were the chipmunks up at summer camp who we just couldn't leave alone. First they were attacked with "flour bombs", next with frisbee's and finally with rocks. Did we feel bad? Not really, until the ranger came and yelled at us AND our leaders (yes, they were in to it as well). Luckily for the chipmunks our coordination and throwing arms had not developed yet and all of them survived. There was the winter snow caving outing. I never would have imagined how hot it could get in there. Some of the guys decided the only way to stay cool was to sleep in the nude (I was not included in this group in case you were wondering).

Besides the mischief and misbehavior, there were many good things. There were long hikes, bonding with friends and leaders, learning to cook (well maybe it was learning to clean up burned pans), riding horses, canoeing trips, long bike rides, etc. I think some lessons in responsibility were learned and we gained some insight into how our Priesthood could be used to serve others.

One skill that we worked on in scouting was orienteering, or using maps and compasses to find our way around. Yesterday, I had a chance to refresh these skills. We had an exercise in land navigation. The idea was to use maps, protractors, and in this case GPS units to find our way around to several specific points. Now as I recall in scouting, we spent a good deal of our time trying to figure out north from south and trying to figure out how the compass worked. We were lost more than we knew where we were. In contrast, yesterday with our GPS unit in hand, the satellites guided us straight to our targets. I'm glad that when I am in Afghanistan, I will have a little more than just luck to help guide me to where I need to go.

Some of the guys trying to be rebellious

Day 54: Parachute Accident

Some of you may have seen that Ft. Riley made the national news yesterday. They were having a change of command ceremony and as part of it, 2 men parachuted down to the event. Unfortunately, one of the men lost control of his chute and ran into the military band at a speed of approximately 50 mph. Three members of the band were hurt--one was knocked unconscious, one broke his leg, and the other suffered a minor head/back injury. Also, one tuba and one trombone perished during the ordeal. The sky diver was not injured. The video makes it look rather painful!

Lessons learned from this event...

1) Don't jump out of a perfectly good airplane
2) Playing in a band can be a dangerous job
3) A 200 lb man falling out of the sky at 50 mph can destroy a tuba

Day 53: Bad Hair Day

As I was sitting waiting to get my haircut today, I was reflecting on all the the bad haircuts I've had in the past. I decided to list the signs that you are in trouble when you sit down in the barber's chair. Listed in no particular order are my top 10...

1) vacuum hose attached to the clippers to suck up the cut hair
2) haircut only costs $6.75
3) sign on wall says "expertise in military haircuts"
4) when you sit in the chair, the stylist promptly turns you around so that you are facing AWAY from the mirror
5) location: any military installation, the MTC, Wal-Mart, cosmetology schools or pretty much anywhere in Fallon, NV
6) your barber is an ex-con and starts telling you stories from when he was in prison (actually, I think I liked that haircut)
7) you need a translator to explain how you want your hair cut (no habla ingles)
8) your stylist only has electric clippers and no actual scissors
9) your barber is someone you have kissed! (just kidding mom and Sue--you guys are great)
10) you decide that you have had one to many bad haircuts and you pull out the clippers to do it yourself

You'll notice I didn't post a picture of my new cut, so I will let you imagine how it turned out. Thanks to all of you for keeping in touch. I will be home from August 6 until August 16 so hopefully I can see many of you then.

Day 52: Post Call Days

For seven years (during medical school and residency) when I was on call it meant I stayed in the hospital to work. Most nights I slept a little, often I didn't sleep at all, and rarely I slept more than Sue did at home. With these call nights coming every 4-7 nights it could start to drain you a little. I still remember vividly the exhaustion felt during a full morning of clinic after a sleepless night on labor and delivery. Its never good when your doctor falls asleep as you are talking to them, is it?

Well, the reason I haven't posted for a few days is I got a reminder of what post call days are like. We went back out to the range on Monday morning. Our task this time was qualifying, both during the day and at night, on our crew served weapons (basically big machine guns mounted on the truck). There were 3 different weapons that we qualified in. Also, we test fired several foreign made weapons such as AK-47's, that we could possibly encounter while deployed. Rather than bore you with the details, I will tell you there were a lot of really loud "bangs", a lot of sweating, a 2 hour power outage at 2AM that we had to wait for, a colleague falling from a humvee and tearing his patellar tendon, and a lot of clean up from firing thousands of rounds. Overall, it was fun to shoot the weapons, but I have to say I am glad it is over. We left at 6AM on Monday and returned at 6AM on Tuesday. After sleeping for 2 hours, we then had to spend the rest of Tuesday cleaning thoroughly the weapons we had shot the day before--and when I say thorough I mean clean enough to eat with clean. It was pretty painful.

Consequently last night was an early to bed night. The whole experience reminded me of how glad I am that residency call nights are a thing of the past!

I have posted a few pictures and some explanations below although I was too tired to take any pictures from the afternoon or night portions of the exercise.

The "249"--the smallest of our machine guns

Firing the M2 0.5 Caliber machine gun--the gun and mount combined weight about 150 lb.Some of the ammunition for the day. Oh and for those of you who are wondering, yes I am growing a little mustache, although you may need to magnify the image some to see it.

A close up of the M2

Not the best video, but at least you can hear what things were like a little.

Day 49: The Village

On the Mall in D.C. is a memorial to those who lost their life during the Vietnam War. A total of 58,260 names are on the Wall. Sue and I had the opportunity to visit the memorial many times while we lived in Washington, D.C. It is humbling to see the seemingly endless list of names of those who sacrificed all for their country during this conflict.

Nine of the Marines listed on the memorial died while fighting in a small village described in the book I just finished reading, The Village by Bing West. This book recounts the story of a group of Marines who lived with and died with the Vietnamese in one of their villages. These Marines had a special mission. Their mission was not just to fight--they were there to advise and teach. They were embedded with a local group of police and Vietnamese soldiers and along side them worked to fight and protect the people from the Viet Cong. Upon arriving the local soldiers were more of a hindrance than help. They would run at the first shot fired. However, over the course of many fierce engagements and many months, the locals learned to fight and be self sufficient. By the time the Marines were pulled from the village, they were able to protect themselves. The cost of this mentorship was high--9 of the Marines paid the ultimate price and died alongside their Vietnamese colleagues.

The military is finally remembering some of these lessons learned from Vietnam and previous conflicts. They realize now that the fight can often be "won" militarily, but really "lost" if the minds and hearts of the people are not won and the lives of the people improved. Afghanistan has been racked with war for decades. The quality of life is low and for many day to day survival is a struggle. Adequate healthcare has been one area where their have been major shortages and lack of resources. My job over the next year will be to mentor and advise health care providers with the Afghan National Police. Much like the Marines in the village, my job will be to help teach the local nationals how things can be done and help them succeed in helping themselves. I hope the effort pays off.

The book I am currently reading is Faith in the Service compiled by Chad Hawkins. It is a collection of experiences from LDS service members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks mom for giving it to me!

Day 48: Launching Grenades!

When we first arrived at Fort Riley, we were issued grenade pouches to wear on our body armor. Naturally, we wondered when we would get the grenades to put inside the pouches. We asked and were told that we never were going to be issued grenades. So the grenade pouches became our camera and cell phone carriers.


Today, however, we finally were able to lay our hands on some grenades. We went out to the range to fire the Mk-19 Grenade launcher. This weapon can shoot at a rate up to 400 rounds per minute and can shoot up to a mile away. It is a pretty impressive weapon. The video below shows me in the turret of the Humvee taking my turn to shoot.

Day 47: Attitude Adjustment

President James E. Faust said, "It's not so much what happens to us but how we deal with what happens to us."Life has its ups and downs. It has its twists and turns. It is up to us to determine how we will react to the situations or challenges that face us. We can choose to make the best of a situation and try to learn from it, or we can fall into self-pity and despair. A positive attitude can help us cope with anything that life might throw at us.

Over the last few days I have thought a lot about my attitude. There have been a few instances where maybe I haven't had the best attitude in the world or have let some complaining words escape my mouth. Ultimately, I realize later in the day that things always work out and that if I simply would have tried to make the best of something, I probably would have enjoyed it from the start. It is funny how we sometimes make life harder than it really needs to be.

I am grateful for a good run and a talk with my wife to help me get my attitude back in check.

Sorry for the philosophical post. Tomorrow we are going to shoot a grenade launcher so I should be able to give you something a little more exciting to look at.