The Greatest Thrill is Knowing that You Might Die

Going on convoys isn't for the weak of heart.  With every opportunity to leave Camp Leatherneck, I took it.  However, one of our trips was perhaps the most thrilling I have ever had.  After, I had spent the night at one of the most haunted battalion aid stations in Helmond Province claiming to have the most deaths two to five feet from where I was sleeping.   And after watching Paranormal Activity 3 with the lights out in the same location, going on a convoy on a road that used to be known as the most deadliest highway in the world still tops the list in "The Most Scariest Things I have Ever Done."


The morning after watching the movie started with the daily routine of hygiene and breakfast.  And once we got back to clean up our sleeping area to put away our foldable COTs (what we slept on), we were told that someone had found room for us on a convoy leaving in about 30 mikes.


I was thinking to myself, "holy crap."


We put on our flak jackets, helmet, strapped on our weapons, grabbed our bags and ran to the meetup point.  The convoy ops started with an intel brief, safety training and smoke signal training.  There was intel of a suicide bomber in the bazaar within our route to another location.  My pucker factor suddenly increased to a 1000%.  As we started to bring our bags to the trucks, a Master Sergent approached me with this question: "Are you wearing your ballistic underwear?"

"No. Master Sergent."

"Do you have any?"

"Yes, it is in my bags somewhere."

With veins popping out of his neck, he replied, "HM1, WHY DON'T YOU FUCKING HAVE THEM ON?!?"

I was thinking, "oh crap".  I put my bag down and took them out and changed out in the nearest berthing tent and off we go.


The moment I sat down inside the mine roller (the lead vehicle with a custom attachment in front of it to set off IEDs) the officer in charge turned around and said.  "Get into Condition One."

I got out of the vehicle and pointing my weapons at the hesco barriers, I racked my M4 and M9.

Luckily, we had taken a Lance Corporal with us to provide me and my partner security detail.  The officer turn to him and said, "Do you know how to operate the turrent?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Lance Corporal, what gun is that up there?"

"Sir, a M240."

"Okay.  If the gunner goes down.  You got it.  GOT THAT?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Doc, you provide first aid."

"Yes, Sir" I replied.

In my mind, a thousand different scenarios popped into my head.  I was about to panic because I was thinking what a horrible Corpsman I am.  I didn't have a freak'n medical bag with me.  Not even a tourniquet... 

I asked the driver if they had a medbag.  And sure enough, they did.


Picture of a vehicle borne IED that was seized shortly before our convoy.

How BMETs are Helping the Afghan National Army

On occasion, Navy BMETs are tasked to go outside the wire to perform various duties outside their job.  But recently, our expertise was requested when two dental chairs and an x-ray film processor went down.

Taking apart a dental chair.

 Performing repairs on an air compressor.

 Primitive dental tubing.

Putting it all back together.

Wag Bags and Piss Tubes

On this most recent deployment, I was given the opportunity to provide BIOMED support to one of our outlying FOBs (forward operating base) in Afghanistan. The one I visited recently is one of the most active and there are all kinds of extreme medical cases that happen all the time there. The action started almost as soon as we got out of the CH-53 Sea Stallion.

Me and Fred got settled in our tent around 2 a.m. and about 3 hours later, people were running in and out of the tent.

I heard very clearly, "We got a patient!!!"

I got up and put my boots on and walked out to hear that the patient had shrapnel wounds on his arms and legs. 

I was thinking "wow... This is cool."

And then I remembered that I was just there for BMET support, not corpsman support. There's lots of corpsman around here for that.

Now, that was just the beginning. I haven't even found the bathroom yet and I was starving. I asked someone where the urinals were. I was directed to these "piss tubes" which are large plastic tubes that stick out of the ground. I guess I am supposed to aim and pee into these tubes. Hmm... Okay. After trying that out, I couldn't help but be disgusted with myself after trying to aim into a piss tube and swat at flies at the same time. They all seem to swarm around nasty places and I had just intruded on their party.

The next thing on my agenda was getting breakfast and finding the real bathroom. After wiping the crust out of my eyes, a young female walked out of her tent.

"Excuse me! Can you point me to the head?" I asked.

"Oh, I see that you just got here. I heard you coming in early this morning." (refering to the distinct deafening noise that a CH-53 makes)

I followed her to the wooden structures which appears to be outhouses. She opened up one of the doors and showed me a toilet seat with a hole in the ground.

"Hmmm... that looks gross." I said in disgust.

"Everyone has to do it! And once we're done, we all have to do the walk of shame." she said.


"So what is the walk of shame?"

"Here, after you fill up this wag-bag, you take it and seal it shut like a ziplock bag. And then you walk it a quarter mile to the waste collection point."

"Oh. How embarrasing."

"Yeah. Everybody does it."

Working 12-18 Hour Days

For the entirety of our deployment, we have been working hard doing 12-18 hour days. Why the long hours? Because of inventory. Upon arriving Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, we have been retrograding materiel back to the states.

We are gradually reducing our troop numbers with the overall goal of being just a force to provide guidance and assistance to the local authorities. By the time our deployment is over, most of these iso containers will have been retrograded.