- kupa's Blog - Victoria Advocate

- kupa's Blog - Victoria Advocate http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa en-us Marcus Aurelius http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4231 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4231 His name should ring familiar with you. An emperor of Rome made semi-famous by the movie Gladiator. Actually he was already semi-famous due to a group of letters he had written to himself called Meditations. He is also considered the last of the Five Good Emperors and one of the most important Stoic Philosophers. The movie only added to his fame. His original name was Marcus Annius Catilius Severus upon his marriage he took the name Marcus Annius Verus. His family was very well connected. Both his parents died young and left Marcus, first in the care of his grandfather where he was tutored and raised in the typical Roman noblemen fashion. After the death of Hadrian, Aurelius Antoninus or Antoninus Pius as he is usually known took the thrown. He was Marcus uncle through his marriage to Faustina. Antoninus Pius having no son of his own adopted Marcus and named him as his heir to the thrown when Marcus was only 17 years of age. As a child Marcus was well educated. His tutors were groomed in the ways of Stoic Philosophy inspiring Marcus to be come one of the most important. Marcus wasnt always the healthiest of children but he still stayed active hunting, wrestling and riding among other things. You might even say he was in constant grooming for his later position in life. After Marcus was named as successor to the thrown he was betrothed to his only wife, Faustina the younger, who was the daughter of Antoninous Pius. There seems to be a debate about their relationship. Marcus is often referred to as being much too good for Faustina though there is no evidence to support any wrong doing on her part. It is common knowledge that Marcus mourned her when she passed. Faustina borne Marcus five children, four of which perished leaving only Commodus. Commodus, as I understand it was just as worthless in real life as he was portrayed in the movie Gladiator. If you recall Emperor Commodus, who succeeds Marcus Aurelius in the movie did the same in real life, though the circumstances were very different. In the year 161 Marcus gets his chance though he takes the job with what seems to be a good amount of humility. The Roman Empire was vast at this time. Too vast for Marcus to believe he could rule as a single Emperor. Against senatorial desires Marcus named his brother, the other adopted son of Antoninus Pius, as Co-emperor. Lucius Verus is another name you may be familiar with from the movie Gladiator. He was the grandson of Marcus in the movie. Marcus reined with Lucius until Lucius passed away in 169. Marcus took the reins for the remaining thirteen years. The movie portrays Marcus at the end of the Germanic wars many times making entries in what appears to be a journal. During the last years of his life, Marcus spent time writing letters to himself which would later be published as his Meditations. These letters give insight into Marcus and his leadership style as a Man and Emperor. Marcus passed away and was not murdered by Comodus as the movie portrays. Though if you listen to Marcus in his dialogue with Comodus as he explains his failures as a father stating something to the effect of, your shortcomings as a son are my failures as a father, I am sure you can hear some of Marcus himself shining through the actor that portrays him. In reading these meditations I can honestly say that Marcus was a true leader and a very intelligent emperor. An emperor I could get behind if he were running for the presidency or something like that. I would encourage all those interested in leadership and philosophy to take a gander at the good emperors handy work. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus a new personal hero of mine. The information contained in this blog comes from the Penguin Classic, Marcus Aurelius, Meditations and the most outstanding website for miscellaneous knowledge, Wikipedia. An Italian quickie! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4230 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4230 Still think we shouldn't bomb Mosques? <a href='http://hotair.com/archives/2007/07/21/terror-school-busted-in-italian-foothills/' target='_blank'>Terror School Found in Italian Foot Hills</a> Bravo Italia! Stay tuned for Marcus Aurelius! Venice http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4229 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4229 A city with water for roads makes for a very expensive taxi ride. I think Confucius said that at some point. Our arrival in Venice was uneventful. We took a taxi to a place we could take a water taxi to the place where we had booked for the short stay in Venice. At first glance Venice is just like you would see it in a James Bond movie or maybe Tomb Raider video game. It’s everything the talk about. I hate to be so un-enamored but it’s was just another city on the coast with amazing architecture�at first glance. Our hotel, or apartment I should say, was off the mainland and set on a nearby island called the Lido (I think) right next to the new Hilton that was just completed. Absolutely amazing is an understatement. Our apartment was once and old grain mill that had been remodeled in to one amazing place to stay. I certainly recommend staying there whenever in Venice. For a first stop in Italy Venice isn’t such a bad place to begin. The public transportation is amounts to a group of boats that functions as busses that were fairly cheap so we took a cheap tour through the Grande Canal on public transportation! I mean why not? Venice is apparently a dieing city. The city itself has a tough time supporting the local populace. There are very few places to shop for the staples of life that you might find in a grocery store. In fact we had a hard time finding a place to buy wine. I know! Can you imagine? So the first night was spent eating diner at the Hilton and returning to the hotel to get ready for the next day. Apparently Venice floods over one hundred times a year and apparently this doesn’t deter tourist from coming. Can you imagine the Piazza San Marco with knee deep water with lanes of wooden scaffolding and hundreds of people scooching next to one another trying to get into the cathedral. Not a pretty site! There was no flooding while we were there but there was plenty of people and even more pigeons. It turns out that Piazza S. Marco is a big shopping area. All around the piazza are shops that sale touristy items. The back streets are filled with the typical Italian shops and everything is very tightly, but pleasantly packed. That evening my travel partner went wandering around and found a Venetian grocery store. I spent the evening with a horrible stomach ache. I guess real food, with things like flavor, and nutrients was too much of shock to my system. The next day we spent wondering around the island with a stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner. A little pesto, some pasta, some cheese, and a few fresh veggies and of course a few bottles of wine. The rest of the day we wandered around Venice until it was time to make dinner. I think being in the Iraq environment had jaded me to the point where I wasn’t really open to discovering new things or maybe the other places we visited in Italy were very over shadowing. I do have to say that it had a certain charm that made me want to stay. I watched some local construction gentlemen applying plastering a near buy building. The overwhelming urge to purchase a Venetian building and remodel it was nearly unbearable. Another one of Venice’s downfalls is that the younger generations have left and are leaving so the area is predominantly occupied by the elderly. Not such a bad thing in my opinion. We had the opportunity to witness two old Italians who are happy and boisterous in the streets of Venice and I must say it was sweetest thing I have ever seen. I didn’t bother seeing some of the other sites in Venice because I wasn’t really in the mood for waiting in lines. In fact, even today I found myself not going to lunch because I am so tired of waiting in lines. Thanks Army! In short, I think if you are going to visit Italy, Venice needs to be a stop. I also recommend staying at the Residenza Grandi Vedute! It’s amazing! Follow the link below. <a href='http://www.veniceresidence.it' target='_blank'>Residenza Grandi Vedute</a> Stay tuned for Florence! General Announcement http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4228 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4228 Good Day ALL! This is a housekeeping announcement. Please do not send anymore care packages to my Iraq Address. You may send correspondances to my Texas address if you wish to do so, as I will be spending a few weeks there upon my return. For those of you who were especially diligent in sending care packages please know that you kept me sane and I could not be more appreciative of your genorsity. I will be making a special effort to thank you personally upon my return to the states. Thank you so much! I will see you soon! Most Sincerely! CPT KUPA More Sadness and Napoli http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4227 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4227 This is the second time this deployment I have had to endure a loved one passing away while I am trapped in this Godforsaken environment. Lynn Scuttelaro was a good friend of mine and a fellow aviator. She had just finished her tour in Iraq and had gone back to normal life in Colorado. Not exactly the kind of news you like to receive when stepping of the Hummvee at 5 am after being up all night in transit from one hell hole to another. I will miss her dearly. May she rest in peace. I promise the rest of this blog is a little more light hearted. ___________________________________ Napoli Under normal circumstances I like to go in some semblance of actual order when it comes to how I write. In this case I can no longer take it and I must comment on the city of what Americans call Naples. Dean Martin, a very prominent Italian, coined it “ol’Napoli”. Allow me to add to the list of names. I shall call it Italy’s Dump. Yes, that sounds a little negative, but consider what I have seen. This blog is going to be a little passionate. It will sound as though I am putting down the city of Napoli. In actuality I will point out that they are slight victims of Rome. As in any case there are two sides to every story and while Rome may have got things started, the citizens of Napoli can no longer use that as an excuse as too much time has passed. Along time ago it was the Kingdom of Napoli. It was rich with art and jewels and things that make a kingdom rich. When Italy became unified Rome took what it needed to help the industrial movement in the north flourish. This left Napoli in the dirt and in a personal, only scratching the surface view, opinion, it has never recovered. My biggest question is “WHY NOT!?” My hotel is meters from the train station, a journey I dread when I have to make it. I must cross several lines of completely unorganized traffic to get to the station which seems only a few paces away, provided you don’t get hit by a scooter or a smart car. I’ll comment on those in a future blog. The UNA Hotel Napoli is a jewel in the rough. My room is on the 5th floor with twin balconies that foster a cool breeze in the evening and allow me to watch the markets and the traffic below. The hotel itself is wonderful but the location is horrible. While in Napoli you can take day long excursions which I recommend. Get out of the city! My only excursion out of the city was to the ancient city of Pompeii. If you come to Italy and are of the archaeological mind you must see this! You must also make the journey to Herculaneum which is another little known city destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. I’ll get to Pompeii in another blog. Yes, I am going to be very busy, so keep your eyes peeled over the next several weeks for good reading. My city excursion was very purposeful. After being in Napoli for 36 hours I had a horrible view of what Dean Martin was trying to get across. That “Ol’Napoli” was quickly becoming much worse so I decided to clear my mind and give Napoli a little more of a fair shake. After all, I had only seen what was visible from my room and what the train to Pompeii would show. So we set out to find the Napoli Archaeological Museum on foot. By the time I had reached the museum I was fighting the urge to go back to my original opinion that Napoli was Italy’s dump. I mean really fighting. I decided to reserve my opinion until I was back at the hotel room. The museum only added to the original opinion. I do have to say that I was impressed with the exhibits at the museum, most of which were recovered from Pompeii. The also had the largest collection of sculptures in the likes of Marcus Aurelius, a new personal hero of mine. His name should sound familiar to those of you whom are fans of the movie “Gladiator”. The sculptures showed him going from a boy to an Emperor. Other exhibits were frescos and floor murals from Pompeii. This place is a must see if you visit Napoli. I must warn you though the museum does reflect the city’s inability to clean up after itself or do the little things necessary to make a good place great. We continued around the city to the port. Each step taken would show me a cleaner and less crowded picture of Napoli. Our next stop was the Castle Nuovo. A most excellent example of a castle though the exhibit as a whole lacked and no one seemed to really care whether the castle was open or about the exhibits contained in side. It did offer us a view of the Port which was very wonderful. Aside from the usual massive cruise ships and ferries there were a few diner cruise ships and military boats that were impressive to view. The structures that supported the port were very old but restored and still gave the “ol’Napoli” feel. Not to mention the basic street trash was at its lowest point here. As the excursion continued back around to the hotel it was back into the slums. At one point I had to fight the urge to vomit. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why a citizen of Napoli would allow this city to become what is. I realize that there are many other factors that I am not privy to when it come to matters of the state of Napoli. For example, there are many other people here from different nations that are vendors within the city that contribute to its environment. Street vendors selling what I like to call “crap”. These people may not have the same pride in Napoli as a local, but after being accosted by an old business man in the train station in Rome about my slouching I would think that pride is an Italian thing not just a Roman thing. I would also like to venture that Napolitano pride is nearly non-existent since we witnessed several Napolites throw their trash on the ground when only inches, and I mean “inches”, from an empty trash can. Regardless of money problems or any other political issues you may want to blame on the status of Napoli you cannot disagree with me when I say that cleaning up after yourself costs nothing, taking pride in your city cost nothing. It would appear that Napoli suffers from the lazy citizen and unless you are going to see Pompeii or Herculaneum I would not even bother with the trip. If you do make it to the once Kingdom of Napoli, stay at the UNA Hotel Napoli. It’s within walking distance from the train station, even with three large bags and two carry-on's. There are a few good restaurants near buy and everything mentioned in this blog is well within walking distance to include a Mall for those of you interested in not wading through trash while you shop for Italian fashions. Stay tuned! I still have Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompeii and Kaiserslautern, Germany to go and then a special appearance by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus the Emperor of Rome in the movie Gladiator. Checking in. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4226 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4226 Halo! Checking in from Germany! The Italy tour was wonderful minus Naples. The resultant blogs will describe. Learned alot! Saw even more. In fact I am all "arted out". No more paintings please! I'll be posting within the next day or so. Choos! Fallen http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4225 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4225 I know there are many stories and personal contributions similar to this one. This one, however, is from one of my own. A significant event in the life of a Combat Flight Medic. One of my Flight Medics. An aspiring young woman with a heart of gold and a nack for calming patients. Please, take a moment and share in this event with her. I must warn you, it's sad but pride filled. __________________________________ Fallen As we landed on the darkened pad I saw them out the left door. A platoon of silent comrades whose unyielding bodies told their story. Sixty heads bowed slightly as their arms rested in the familiar smalls of their backs. Their sorrow was palpable as the landing light lit their solemn faces one at a time. As the bellow of our engines quieted to a soft whir and then, finally, nothing I was uneasy about setting foot on what seemed to be sacred ground. I unstrapped slowly, methodically, trying not to cause any noise. I gingerly reached for my flashlight and placed my right foot carefully on the landing gear. My left foot followed and found its way silently to the ground. I approached the left cargo door and glanced over at my shoulder at the mourning platoon. They were still. I took my time unlatching the door and pushed it open as cautiously as possible out of respect for silent grievers. I took the flashlight out of the holster on my belt and shined it on the litter patient. Are you OK? I whispered. He strained his neck and looked up and over his left shoulder and nodded Yes. Let me know if you need anything, OK? Ill be right here. I took a few steps toward the rear of the aircraft and lit up the faces of the two ambulatory patients with my flashlight. You guys OK? I asked with a thumbs up and genuine concern. Two Yeps and two nodding heads later I was comfortable with having the patients sit on this blackened pad for a while. I knew we would be there for a while and even as my heart squeezed in my chest I was glad we were there. I walked back up by the litter patient and stood by his head so I could respond quickly if he needed anything. In the distance I heard the familiar roar of the dual-engines from a C-130. The sound was nearly deafening, as it is every time, but this time I was comforted by their thunderous whine. A few chilling minutes later our feet were illuminated with the C-130s landing lights as it taxied by our make-shift helipad. The platoon stood firm, with only the occasional tilt of a head or shift of a foot necessary to keep standing upright. The vast gray aircraft parked only feet away from our helicopters. I rested my hand on the cold gray handle of the litter pan which sent chills down to my feet. My heart was heavy and I dreaded what was to come next. Slowly the back of the C-130 was opened. The heavy door was lowered a few inches at a time casting eerie rays of light with each new inch. Awaiting forklifts surrounded the plane in a skit that had been performed many times before. The contents were emptied onto the forks and driven out of sight. I couldnt tell what was offloaded, but felt myself shiver as I noticed they looked too much like caskets. My head bowed and eyes squeezed shut, Dear God, please watch over us on this difficult night. Platoon, Attention! a senior NCO from the nearby formation said firmly. In accordance, sixty bodies snapped to the proper position, heels touching and fisted hands rigid against their sides, and awaited their next command. Can you move my leg for me? the litter patient asked quietly, snapping me back to the present. You have a job to do, Heather. Pull yourself together. I was a little annoyed that I had to stop watching the ceremony unfolding in front of me. Of course was all I could muster, trying to hide my annoyance. I made my way, as quietly as possible, through the left crew window into the cabin. I felt the cold metal between my lips as I grasped the flashlight with my teeth trying to get a better view of his leg and brace. I carefully undid the seatbelt and litter strap and pulled away the scratchy woolen blanket. His leg had rotated inward putting too much pressure on his hip. I gently put my hands under his knee and lifted his injured limb up a few inches. I looked over my right shoulder to see if this was too much, but was met with a sigh telling me this is exactly what he wanted. I turned his leg out and padded it with the green blanket to prevent it from happening again. Before I covered him back up and strapped him in I checked once again to make sure he wasnt in any pain. That better? I asked, my voice barely audible. Much. Sorry for the trouble, he said in a sheepish tone. I smiled, No, no, no, dont worry about it! Its my job! I said cheerfully, trying to rid my voice of the sadness I felt. Hes your patient, Heather. Dont let your emotions get in the way of that. I couldnt separate myself from what was going on twenty feet away. I danced my way back onto the pad, making as little noise as possible. I placed myself once again at the patients head, but this time it was as much for me as it was for him. My fellow flight crew members had lined up in front of our aircraft without me noticing. Their body language told everyone it was out of utter respect for the platoon we had invaded. They stood at Parade Rest per our Commanders instruction. I, too, found the familiar spot in the small of my back to rest my hands and found my feet making themselves shoulder-width apart. I looked for the platoon I had last seen standing rigid, but now all I saw were two lines leading to the back of the C-130. I missed the transformation into the two separate lines, but can imagine their solemn faces as they robotically changed into their current position. Here we go. Platoon, Attention! bellowed a strong voice. The two lines snapped instantly, perfectly into position. Major Grays voice was soft, sullen when he repeated the command to our make-shift formation. We all came to Attention, but not as swiftly as the platoon. We didnt want to make any noise; we were only observers of their goodbye. I disregarded Army regulations and broke position to look toward the patient and make sure he was doing OK. When I saw his head nod I knew he was fine. I turned my head quickly back so I wouldnt miss any more. And then I waited, as we all did, for the HMMWV to pull up and unload its contents. Headlights came around the corner and a gust of wind blew across the flight line sending chills up my body. The doors of the vehicle were opened slowly, yet the platoon never moved. Their eyes stared straight ahead and their hands stayed firmly by their sides. A team of six men assembled at the rear of the truck and, as if in slow motion, the red and white of the American flag became distinguishable. Tears found their way to my eyes as I fought to keep them from pouring down my cheeks. Soon the blue dotted by white stars could be seen and the six men started their slow, proud march behind a band of colors. Present Arms was barely audible over the gusting wind, but everyone instinctively put their hands to their forehead in the most memorable salute theyd given. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death the Chaplains voice trailed off in a gust of wind. Tears made little rivers down my cheeks and on to my flight vest. There was no fighting them this time. Dear God, please watch over this soldier as you welcome him into your home. Please keep him safe from the evils of war and please be with his family in this time of sorrow. Please watch over us all as we honor him. In your name we pray, Amen. The Chaplain repeated the soldiers name over and over but only every-other syllable was audible over the intermittent winds. A flag raised high above the formation fought with the gusting wind while the flag draping the box remained still, as if in silent protection of Her fallen hero. He was going home. I dropped my salute and broke position once again to check on the patient. I put my hand on his sandy-colored hair as I got close enough to whisper. His tear-filled eyes found mine and I knew he could tell exactly what I was feeling. You OK? I asked, choking back tears. Are they doing what I think theyre doing out there? he asked, almost afraid of the answer, but knowing fully what it was. Theyre sending KIAs home out there. This is their ceremony, was all I could think to say. I couldnt lie, he knew. I felt something brush the back of my hand as he reached over his head toward me. I opened my sweaty hand and welcomed his cold one. He squeezed my fingers so hard I could have blamed the tears on him. But they werent from him. They were for the soldiers being sent home on that plane. I looked up at him, embarrassed at my tears, and mad at myself for not holding it together better. But I was met with a tear-stained face of a man who nearly died the night before. He whispered his story to me as we waited, his hand in mine, on the busy pad that felt so empty. His Stryker had hit an IED and his left leg was filled with shrapnel. Had one of his soldiers not put a tourniquet on his limb he would have lost his leg. This ceremony could have been for him and the look on his face said he was all too aware of that fact. He looked up at me with questioning eyes and I knew he needed words of encouragement. At least you got to spend the last two hours in the back of a black hawk was my feeble attempt at humor to lighten the heavy sadness of the situation. Im so glad I got to, he was barely able to say before the tears came in rivers from his blue eyes. I took his hand in both of mine and held them close to me. God, thank you for letting this man survive. Thank you for giving him the chance to see his family again. Thank you for letting me be a part of this tonight. I looked back over my left shoulder to see a second flag being carried proudly between the two rows of heartbroken soldiers. I blinked back tears as I said a prayer for him. The Chaplains voice was broken in the wind, chilling the night. I held my patients hand and waited for the ceremony to come to an end, tears flowing freely. * * * * * * You OK, Kid? Major Gray asked as he passed by on the way to his aircraft. Yes sir, were fine, I said, discreetly wiping the tears away with my one free hand. I turned back to the patient and nodded, a smile crawling across my face. He wiped his cheeks with his right hand and squeezed me with his left. No words were spoken, but they didnt need to be. Our exposed hearts had gone through this together, we were bonded in a way. I am so thankful he was there with me. As we returned to our aircraft our heads hung a bit lower. We had just witnessed a powerful event and none of us would ever be the same. Dear God, please open your arms to these soldiers. Show them peace, love, and joy as they enter Your Kingdom. And please watch over us as we continue this mission. Cover us in your blanket of comfort and safety. Amen. Published with permission from SPC H. Springer. Checking in. http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4224 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4224 No need to be alarmed. It's been pretty busy over the last day or so. Same old stuff here though. If you can even infer that this is typical. Been doing alot of thinking lately so there is a new entry on the way. Not sure when it will get done but it is on the way. The god news is, preparations have begun for our re-deployment home. Stay tuned for more news on that. Just to make sure you get the latest and greatest from over here I am providing a link to the website that will give you more information than you ever cared to know about Iraq. <a href='http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1' target='_blank'>Multi-National Forces Iraq</a> Miss you all! 20+ days till ROME! Another Close Call http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4223 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4223 Leave dates are in and I am on may way! I will say "Hi" to the Pope for all the Catholics and I will certainly take lots of pictures! Enjoy Another Close Call. _________________________________ Okay so it would seem that I am actually in a war. Who knew right? Remember the scenes in M*A*S*H when things were exploding everywhere and Pierce, Hawkeye and Radar are running to and fro hiding behind seemingly bullet proof objects while throwing endless one-liners out for our entertainment? Yeah, I love those too but before I go any further I do need to say that no one was wearing a dress during these events. Unfortunately, explosions dont happen the way they did in M*A*S*H. Isnt this the way it always happens? A group of guys standing around a John Deer shooting the bull, watching the corn grow (yes, we planted corn) then all of the sudden Boom, in the distance. Hey was that outgoing? I dont know, it kind of sounded like. !BOOM! Everyone scatters to grab their gear in preparation for the worst. The running around and hiding behind any barrier we can get to. I make my way to our operations center to report and discover that what ever it was that was just given to us had landed near the (being vague because I have too) front door; the smoke still lingering. I step back outside the office to get a bearing on the chaos. No more gifts yet. I realize that my medics are now caring for a wounded soldier that I remember seeing hobbling back into our little village. I go once more to the phone and pass information up to higher. This time I have to tell them that we will be taking this wounded soldier to the nearest medical facility. I don my flight gear while completing my Platoon Leader duties. By this time the medics have him wrapped up snug in bandages, his blood soaked clothing hanging off the stretcher. I put my Section Leader in charge and go trotting to the aircraft where the Auxiliary Power Unit is already running and the other members of my crew are already waiting. My Section Leader took over and continued to pass information up. I arrive just prior to the injured soldier and strap in as my copilot cranks the engines and the medics and their helpers load the soldier on board. A few radio calls later and were off; screaming through the air pulling the more than Igor Sikorsky could have possibly imagined out of his contraption and certainly more than Da Vinci would have ever guessed. We arrive at our destination and the soldier is raced inside. Hes out of our frantic and caring hands into another set of frantic more experienced and just as caring set of grapplers. For us, its time to return home. Its quite for a good portion of the way back. Each of us expecting the worse; many more trips back to our last stop. Its just in our nature to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. To our fortune we arrive only to find an upset doctor and few folks still in gear. Almost everything returns to normal. I gather my camera and photograph the damage for my boss. A few well placed pieces of shrapnel and some of our weaknesses are revealed. So we worked to fix those wholes. Ill show you the pictures another time. I find it hard to walk in the spot our gift was delivered. Actually, I find it hard crossing the immediate area. I force myself to do it, to walk near the impact point, to cross the immediate area. Plus, theres food on the on the other side. They have the best cheese sticks here! Its very motivating. The injured soldier will be fine. He is recuperating very nicely in a great place to re-cup. In fact he will be back to it in no time. As for us, were still preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. More Medevac! http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4222 http://community.victoriaadvocate.com/home/Blog/kupa/4222 Just so you know, I had another close call. This time on the ground and nowhere near a helicopter. I'll get you that story later. For the time being head to the link below. <a href='http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0612/feature3/index.html' target='_blank'>National Geographic MEDEVAC Article</a> This article was written about the soldiers on the previous rotation of troops. Another great article on MEDEVAC. Please make sure you view the photo gallery. Thanks for all your support.