My All Expense Paid Vacation to Okinawa

USNH Okinawa

Standing at the Quarterdeck at US Naval Hospital Okinawa

So you may ask, where is Okinawa? Well, if you watched a movie called, "Kill Bill" or if you are in the US Marine Corps or a Navy Hospital Corpsman than you would know that already. It is the last little island south of Japan. About 65 miles long. (You can google it) It is geographically in the middle between Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. To the west, is the East China Sea (very close to China) and to the east, is the Pacific Ocean.

This island is still amazingly, very Japan'ish. I would've figured that since it was so close to it's neighboring countries, it would have more diversity in it's people. Nope. The buildings all look the same as mainland Japan. The only difference is that there is more space to spread out and there is no train system. Just a monorail in Naha.

A ridiculously modified mini-van

More pictures and posts to continue!

Medievac to Okinawa

Nayeli in Kanji

Tomorrow I will take off to see the neurosurgeon. I have high hopes that he'll cure me under the knife. It sucks that everywhere I go, people feel sorry for me. It hurts everyone to see me all bent over. I can't wait to get better.

Eyes right!

Here is a photo with Nayeli with her eyes open. Her eyes are closed about 80% of the time. Her skin is starting to peel off all over her body. People say it is normal. That baby smell that I was talking about earlier on my blog turned out to be the laundry smell of Soco's parent's. They have washed all their onesies before shipping them to us. Now she smells like... I dunno. Sometimes like poop.



IncrediblyX kissing a Mexican Baby

Energy 92.7

Nayeli Zzzzz.....

I've been dying to hear some upbeat music and in Japan, you just can't get any good radio stations. This radio station reminds me of my younger clubbin days in SoCal and Tijuana, MX. Good streaming pop dance.

http://www.energy927fm.com/

Baby Smell

Hello Kittys

As the days go by, I am learning more and more about Nayeli. Babies have a distinct smell. I assume that with sufficient diaper changes and good grooming habits, they keep that smell until they grow older. Her umbilical cord is shriveling up and I'm not too sure how long it takes before it falls off.

Umbilical Cord

Obtaining U.S. Citizenship in Japan

Soco holding Nayeli

Living in Japan and having a baby requires a lot of paperwork. I have to go to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to obtain U.S. Citizenship for my new daughter. What a pain. We all have to show up and right now, I'm not in the mood to be riding a train or standing up for a long period of time and neither is Soco. Lately, she has been suffering from swollen feet and she has been elevating it and icing it.

Let me Sleep!

Next week I go to Okinawa for a surgery consult. Hopefully they can fit me in their busy schedule. I've been walking crooked for almost 4 months now. I'm going to have to detox from all the narcotic pain medication I've been taking so far. I hate having to take drugs to control my constant level of pain. It pains me that I can't even lift my new baby. Soco has been taking care of both of us.

Where's Nayeli?

Annoying the Baby 101:
Since having a new baby, I've been getting to have fun in all kinds of ways that I haven't ever been able to do before.
1. Try to keep the baby awake as long as possible until she starts to make an angry face. Nayeli's angry face is so adorable! I think she is getting really annoyed with me.
2. Sing bad songs. I've been singing songs such as "The Addition Song" which annoys her a lot. It goes like this: One plus one is two! One plus two is three! and so on and so forth. When I get to ten, she makes an angry face.
I'm still trying to find new and fun ways to annoy her. She doesn't cry much. Only when she absolutely has to.

Nayeli's Birthday

Nayeli Isabela
The morning of May 24th, Soco went into the hospital with contractions. The doctor checked and found that the cervix was only 2 cm and was told to come back when the contractions get worse and are 3 minutes apart. That didn't happen until 2000 at night. We came to the hospital and Soco was suffering from some "monsterous" contractions. She got on all fours and screamed for 8 hours. When she couldn't handle it anymore, she asked the doctor for an epidural to numb the pain. After that, no more screaming. She was asked, "What is your pain?" Soco replied, "I have no pain, only pressure." At 0408 on May 25th, Nayeli was born. I got to cut the cord and blood splattered everyone without a face shield. She was a beautiful baby girl.

Celebration Meal - Lobster Tail and Fried Shrimp

Now, with both of us being hospital staff, I would automatically think that I would have absolutely no privacy what-so-ever. It is true. As soon as Soco's blood was drawn, the news spread like wildfire. People tried to visit us while Soco was giving birth and an hour after. We requested no visitors until Soco rested up and she only allowed her closest friends. They then took pictures with their camera phones and showed them to everybody in the hospital, which stirred more emotion.
It wasn't long before Soco's room was full of balloons, flowers, greeting cards, baby clothes and visitors. It looked like it was a party. My team of Biomeds came in uninvited all ghetto style with a huge piece of equipment rolling in. They said, "We need to test the ultrasound machine on the baby." It was funny. Everyone congradulated me on my first baby. The Commanding Officer also spent some time out of his busy day to congradulate me.

Baby Girl

Nayeli's Baby Shower

Soco

Recently, we just had a baby shower for Nayeli. Since I've never been to one before, I really didn't know what to expect. It took place at Goban Tower, Yokosuka Japan. Kinda interesting that this isn't taking place in the states huh? The baby got all kinds of gifts. Two baby carrier backpack things, baby bottles, onesies, Baby Gap stuff, outfits, gift certificates, Daddy toolbelt, stuffed animals, balloons and a baby monitor. It was fun, there were all kinds of games and prizes. Thanks to all the guys in the USNH Lab Department and Maldonado for setting it up.

Blue Street

Armed Forces Network

Park in front of Yokosuka City Hall

After moving on base, we've been watching television a lot lately. We have our tv hooked up to the cable in the wall and we get several different channels. Unlike the shows we see in the states, the commercials are all educational such as, "how to save money" or "WW2 heros" etc. I gotta admit, they are very interesting and sometimes they play too much of the same commercial so they become annoying after a while. The best nights are Wednesday nights and Sunday nights. They show stuff like American Idol, Extreme Home Makeover, Grey's Anatomy, etc. The good stuff.

Cost of Free Medical Care

L5-S1 Bulging Disc MRI (not mine, but what it looks like)

It has been almost 2 weeks since my MRI on my back. The MRI was conclusive that I did indeed have a bulging disc in my lower back which is squeezing off my left sciatic nerve. It is driving me crazy as the pain can only be compared to having your leg being sawed off every time I try to walk upright. 8/10 on the pain scale? Right now, I'm on all kinds of pain killers such as Neurotin and Percocet and an anti-inflamatory called Naprosyn. I'm glad that I'm covered by Tri-Care and I realize that if I wasn't covered, I'd be paying a hefty sum for all the physical therapy, medication, X-rays and the MRI procedure I have already taken. The price of having free medical care is that I'm unable to choose where I get seen and am literally told where I can receive care. Because of being in Japan, the only option is to fly to Okinawa for neurosurgery. With my horrible luck, there is only one neurosurgeon in the entire pacific theatre and because of this, my schedule to see him is 4 weeks away. Damn... Since I'm not having trouble breathing or bleeding to death, I'm not a very high priority in this. So right now, the only option is to suffer.

Exion walking around with bad back and wearing a "desert face mask".

Worst Pain in my Life

I have finally taken my MRI on my back. Since the hospital doesn't have an MRI machine, they outsource the work to a local Japanese hospital, the Kyosai Hospital of Yokosuka. The trip included a translator/liaison. I didn't realize that I was going to have to lie on my back straight for 20 minutes. In my current condition, I'm bent over either to my left or right side. I'm physically unable to stand up straight without pinching my spinal cord. Well anyway, the MRI tech strapped me down on the table and forced my body into a straight position. I was experiencing the most pain I have ever felt 9/10. A 10/10 would constitute a near death experience by being lit on fire or something. It hurt. 20 minutes felt like an hour. I don't usually sweat much, but after the procedure, I was drenched in my own sweat and I was shaking out of control. I took off the kimono patient gown and put my clothes back on, sat down and recovered from the horrible pain. The next day, I went to the doctor. It was conclusive that I had a L5-S1 bulging disc which was compressing on my spinal cord which involved my left sciatic nerve. No wonder why all the physical therapy and stretching exercises weren't working. The only logical alternative is neurosurgery. Doc said that I was going to be medevaced to Okinawa for a neurosurgeon consult. Soco went with me to the doctors appointment and she is happy to see resolution to this ongoing problem.

COSTCO Wholesale of Kanazawa, Japan

Crowded Isles

I can never believe that Costco could ever find a suitable place in Japan. Somehow they have managed to fit their huge American sized warehouse on a plot of land by the sea. And it is amazing. To get there from Yokosuka, we took the toll ($9.50 one way) to Namiki exit and Costco was there. They had 2 or 3 stories of parking on the roof. As you exit the parking structure you take a shopping cart and go down the escaladors which had a magnetic grip on the shopping cart. The free samplers were strange. They had raw fish, pickled vegetables, small appetizers. The Japanese line up in an orderly fashion to await their turn at the sampler or "demo" tables. A lot of the items in Costco came straight from America so everything I saw were recogonizable. I can hear the cash registers cha-chinging in my head as each Japanese person made their purchase in support of U.S. economy. Obviously, the most empty part of the store was the book section. All the books were imported from the states. Me and Soco went over there to flip through some of them since everything was in English. We bought Sushi, Bulgogi, anchovies with walnuts, pastries, eggs and fish. At the end of our shopping spree, we ate at it's restaurant which served the same stuff they sell at the states. Soco got a chicken roll and I got a slice of pizza and clam chowder. As we left, we saw the tire center. It was really clean, no tire or oil marks on their floors... it was sparkling and all the tires and tools were neatly stacked and put away. The Japanese are really clean! Really great place in Japan.

Seafood Pizza
Raw fish sampler
Checking Out

Yen or Dollars?

Wild Bamboo sprouting in front of hospital

It has been raining here like every other day. It is kinda depressing. But at the same time, it discourages me from leaving the confines of the military base. With a van, I can now travel everywhere on base at ease. The Seaside Club is no longer a cab ride or a long bike trip. Getting to work is no longer a hassle, except for finding a parking space. It makes no sense to me that patient parking is almost non-existent during the daytime hours. I'm glad that I work there, otherwise, walking to the hospital would really suck. Anyways, this morning I went off base to help Soco find a tailor shop and they sew patches on the spot in 10 minutes! Really amazing. Just supply your own patches, because chances are, they don't have it.

I was asked, what currency do I hold? Yen or dollars? I must carry both. On base, there are vending machines everywhere that take yen only. Drinks and snacks are everywhere, just carry yen. Every store on base accepts dollars or ATM/Debit cards. The stores off base accepts Visa and Mastercard sometimes, but not all the time. Japan is a cash based economy and people are usually expected to pay in cash. Even rent.

Money I pulled out of my wallet. Yen, dollars and even a Kuwaiti Dinar

Attempt at Vietnamese PHO

Pho at the table

The other day, I made Vietnamese Pho. It turned out okay. I forgot to get some garnishes such as bean sprouts and Heising Sauce. It was really good regardless. Due to the high cost of limes in Japan, we settled for lemons. Instead of mint leaves, we had mint sprinkles. It was okay still.

My Camera is up for auction on Ebay!

Cyber-Shot DSC-50 Click on this Link to see it!

I have posted my camera up for sale on Ebay! It is a really great camera and it captured many good memories.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Somehow I ran into this link:

http://www.thefastandthefurious.com

Wow, it got me really excited that there is another fast and furious movie, and this time it doesn't take place in the U.S.

95 Toyota Lucida

Front Picture
Rear Picture

I've been getting a lot of compliments about my new van. As of right now, it is in perfect condition. No dings, new tires, fluids topped off, no leaks, everything works. Lots of toys, two sunroofs, rear mirror, folding chairs, seats 8 people. The odometer only has 55k on it and it is 11 years old! I'm really happy with this van. I'm glad I waited long enough for this van to show up at the car lot. Overall, with insurance, LTO fee, registration, license plates, road tax, weight tax, recycle fee, and toll road fee, I have paid $4,000 in all. Not bad considering how much vehicles cost in the states.
The $400 Japanese Baby Chair

Driver's Seat

Welcome New U.S. Citizens!

I have always admired the general makeup of our military. Many of our service members have recently became U.S. Citizens and some of them are personal friends of mine. Yeah! There is no better country to be a part of!

Sciatica Sucks

This sciatica is taking a lot longer to heal than I could ever imagine. It has already been a month and my spine is still crooked. My doctor prescribed muscle relaxant and an anti-inflamatory prescription and the physical therapist prescribed stretching exercises and posture correction movement. I've been doing everything several times a day. Stretching, walking, moving around, Yoga posture and stretching videos, shifting my back from side to side and it still feels like intense pinching in my left hamstring and butt. I have one week before I have to return to work and I don't think it will heal in time. I've also lost a lot of sleep because it is impossible to fall asleep in a constant state of pain. I took some over-counter sleeping pills to help me fall asleep and it didn't work. I did eventually fall asleep at 3 a.m. out of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. I just hope and prey that I'll be 100% when the baby is born. One more month to go!

We have finally decided on a vehicle to purchase. It turned out to be a grey Toyota Mini-Van. It had one previous owner who was an old Japanese man. I can tell that he took good care of the vehicle. There are no leaks or problems what-so-ever! It was hardly believable for a vehicle to be 11 years old! I'll take pictures of it when we finally get possession of the vehicle.

Baby clothes
People are constantly donating baby clothes, toys and junk. More necessities than junk, of course. I'm trying to take some precautions since I think we already have enough stuff for the baby. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought a single thing for the baby! I'm not sure if it is out of generosity or people are just dumping their stuff on us. We actually had to trash some items because they were infested with mold. NASTY! Soco's parents have been very kind to us and sent us some very nice diaper bags, onesies, and stuff. It is really great. Yesterday, Soco bought some reusable cloth diapers. I think that will save us a lot of money. A pack of 40 disposable diapers are about 9 or 10 bucks. Since we are dual income, we don't qualify for WIC. Hehe, I guess according to statistics, our military pay combined is above poverty level... darn.

Well, I'm going to do more stretching exercises now.
Soco in her maturnity dress uniform in front of US Naval Hospital, Yokosuka Japan

Looking for a Vehicle

Arabic Cuisine - Catered food from Sultan Brothers Company

Lately, me and Soco has been trying to find a suitable vehicle for us and our baby. Finding an inexpensive, yet practical vehicle is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. I test drove a 94 Toyota Lucida and it ran okay. It had several problems though... I got on my hands and knees and noticed a small oil leak coming from the headers on the engine. The van had a little problem starting up. Soco noticed that the power steering fluid levels were below the minimum mark. When I drove under two tunnels, I turned on the lights, but for some reason, in absolute darkness, I couldn't see the speedometer. The heater doesn't work either. Hmm... The good stuff is that all the insurance has been paid for, the Japanese inspection has been paid for, everything legally is taken care off. I would only have to do a transfer. Me and Soco both agreed that it is a piece of junk and decided to rest on this decision.

Soco may be due within 3 or 5 weeks. So there is a little rush, but not too much.

Lift with your back, not your legs.

Daewoo's latest convertible - Seoul, Korea.

Ever heard of the saying, "Lift with your back, not your legs. You get more time off." Is true. But not in a good way. I'll be going to Physical Therapy on Monday. Hopefully they can perform some miracles.

There are a lot of issues that still have to be fixed from the move from off-base residence to on base. My internet access throught Asahi Net was still active. So I had to shut it off and now I have to mail my modem to Atsugi. My taxes still need to be done. The baby's room needs to be arranged. I'm looking to purchase a vehicle. It seems to be too much to do! Because of all of this, I'm taking some leave.

3 hour flight between Seoul and Tokyo

Back in Japan again

Potluck food

Soco the Advanced Laboratorian

I'm back in Japan again and not much has changed. Everything looks exactly the same. Neyeli is growing and kicking inside Soco's belly. Yesterday, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was 145 beats per min.

Soco has moved on base and I had to spend minimal amount of time finding it. It was too easy and plus, this new place is much bigger than I had expected. The blueprints make it appear smaller. We have an American sized refrigerator, bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen. No more shopping for food everyday!

There are new faces in my workspace. I don't think it will take very long before I get used to them. I just hope they are hardworkers. It is kinda funny to walk around the hospital and people come up to me and say "Welcome Back, you're a war hero". I wouldn't say that much, but it feels funny to be called that. I'm glad to have the experience of deployment under my belt. Now I just need some shipboard experience...

I can just say one thing, I'm glad to be back.

Final Look at Kuwait

Stop

Departing Kuwait was the greatest feeling after a long deployment. The long hours of working has ceased and there is now plenty of time to relax. I worked until it was my time to leave and I tried to pass down everything I can for the smooth transaction for my relief. It is my first deployment and it was a good one. I don't ever want to go back. Especially since it is becoming summertime over there. When I left, it was almost 95 degrees inside the hospital. I wonder how hot it will be in the peak of summer.

I'll have a McMushroom Please!

Desert in Kuwait

Sandy Roads

I left with new friends, awards, and plenty of experience. Am I going to miss it? No. I'm glad to be back in Japan.

Last Minute Jokes

Funny Arabian TV Ads

Sword in the Stone

After being here, I've seen a lot of pretty cool television Ads in Kuwait. For example, the Chevy truck commercials show how they can withstand terrorist attacks by cleverly concealing an armored vehicle's gold inside the Chevy SUV and toppling building blasts. It makes me want to buy a Chevy! Dubai has been advertising like crazy and it appears to be one of the most modern cities in the middle east. They advertise racing, horse races, concerts with famous American celebrities etc... I wish I could visit Dubai!

My back has been healing slowly and I can now walk upright. The pain is still there though.

Demeral Injection Experience

Demeral is the best pain killer that we have and it still didn't cure me. (I think they did away with Morphene a long time ago.) I was still limping after the injection and was a bit dizzy. I was kept under watchful eye because it is known to be habit forming and people go "wacko". I just sat in bed and counted the Kuwaiti Dinars in my wallet. Speaking of which, they have 1/3 of a dinar in paper format! What the heck? Anyways, I didn't go wacko like they said I would. My best advice for everyone, be sure to perform stretches before going to the gym! I usually don't and my old age is starting to show. Looks like my metabolism is slowing down and I'm getting fatter.... Now I'm watching out for high fiber foods so I can do my business on schedule. Jeez... I guess it just keeps getting worse and worse.

My Back Hurts

Another formation with me in it

It has been almost four days. My back still aches and it is still taking me 20 minutes to tie my left boot.

I have recently placed two morale calls to the states, one to my parents and another to my sister-in-law. Lives back home doesn't seem to change much. I just know that my life back in Japan will be totally different as I won't even know where I live.

I've been spending a lot of time in my rack because my mobility is quite limited. It is difficult for me to walk so I've been reading a lot. That Dan Brown book, "Angels and Demons" is starting to become boring. I have absolutely no interest in the Vatican city. So my reading is becoming very dull and I don't really care if it vanishes due to an anti-matter bomb. His other book, "Deception Point" was extremely thought provoking unlike this book. I guess you have to be Catholic to appreciate the relic fantasy of it all.

I've been writing a fictional book which relates to my experiences here. It isn't packed with suspense and mystery, but it will be funny. I haven't heard of any books about Operational Iraqi Freedom being humorous, so here it is. I don't want to reveal what it is about, but it is about 10% complete and I may be able to get a motion picture deal. Of course, keeping Operational Security in mind.

Idiots Leading the Way?

USMHK Rock Garden

I must honestly say, that the people who are leading the country is either lacking intelligence or compassion for it's people. I'm not saying that I have contempt towards officials, but I've gotta say, that they need to smarten up. Especially since they are coming up with ridiculous things like, "We need to extend to one year deployments." "The Navy is going to be a more deployable force." My question is this: How much more deployable does the Navy need to be? It is already hard on our families as it is with sailors being deployed all the time. Heck, if I got deployed to Kuwait, damn... our country is running low on manpower or the Army is slacking. The Army has more personnel than the Navy, Marine Corps and the Air Force combined and they are having manning issues? They had to call upon joint forces to help them out. My solution to all of this is to get out of this place because we don't belong here. The government is spending all this money for what? To stablize Iraq and Afghanistan? Why must we do that? They have oil that is depleting as the days go by. Eventually, the oil will be gone. "Popular Science" magazine, Shell, Exxon and Texaco estimates 5-10 years before we "run out" as the world is growing it's reliance on oil.

My solution, build military machines that run on Ethanol instead of gasoline. Cars that run on H20. The technology is there, why is it taking so long to switch over? We should've done this years ago. Where is my flying car?

Lately, I have lost most of my mobility as I have injured myself. So does that mean that I get a Purple Heart for being injured in a Combat Zone? Hehe, just kidding. As I was talking to the doctor, he says that 90 percent of the patients that come in are sports related injuries. I can tell, because while I was waiting, 90% of the patients were still in PT (Physical Training) gear. I was given vitamin M (Motrin) and Vikaden which put me to sleep.

With the advancement test being over, I've had a lot of spare time to finish my reading and do some creative thinking. It is funny that everytime I finish watching a show, I get so into it, that I want to get involved. For example, after watching "Robotica", I want to build my own robot. After watching "Underworld" I want to start killing vampires. After watching "Mythbusters", I want to debunk myths and build my own "Archamedes Death Ray". And after seeing, "American Chopper", I want to ride bikes. Maybe I've been watching too much television and the more I watch it, the more I miss home.

Question:
Hi, I found your blog on a general search. I am being deployed to Kuwait soon and I had a couple questions.

Is the food OK? Are there oppotrunities to travel off base or does it depend on your unit/ command? I know the uniform code of military justice forbids it, but in reality is it possible to have "relations" with women, while stationed there (you don't have to use names)?

Thanks in advance

Answer:
1. Food: read my other posts on food.
2. You may travel off base if it is mission oriented or if you go on an MWR trip. The MWR trips are usually in places with heavy security and plus there will be armed people with you at all times.
3. Relations with women is forbidden in a warzone. Don't even think about it. Married couples aren't allowed to touch each other. Friendships are okay, and if you fall in love, the relationship can be carried on after deployment is over. However, you can write to your loved ones back home. Postage is free.

Deployment

Coffee is a Drug, I don't do Drugs

New BMET Crew

A lot has been going on here. We have been doing the "Left-Seat, Right-Seat". In other words, a turn-over for new people so the old people can train the new people. VIPs have been coming in and out, evaluations and awards are being passed out for old people, old people move out of the barracks, etc. It has been a hectic week for all.

First Medical Brigade sponsored a Dining In which is a formal dining session where there are a lot of rules that are easy to break. When a rule is broken, the violator is asked to drink from the "Grog" bowl. This grog bowl had the nastiest stuff such as entire bottles of hot sauce, a sock, etc. The first violators were people without their identification, Dogtags. Half of the room were not wearing their dogtags. The procedure before drinking from the Grog included doing four left faces and with each left face, render a salute. Take two more steps in front of the grog bowl, take a bow and drink a cup. Then, put the cup upside down on your head to see if you drank the entire cup. It was quite humorous and it was a good time to poke fun at people. Another obsurd rule included that you can't applaud until "Mr. President" applauds. The night was full of funny skits and shows which demonstrated lower enlisted making fun of their superiors and superiors making fun of their superiors. Real good time.

War Stories

What it looks like if you open your eyes during a sandstorm

It doesn't matter if you are wearing a uniform, a badge, speak a foreign language, or if your black, asian or caucasian, we are all the same. People generally like the same type of things and eat various, but edible food and it all comes down to the most important thing ingestible item: water. In the desert, if you don't drink water, you will die. In the jungles of south-east asia, if you don't drink water, you will die. Death is a irrefutable fact of life. But, what makes cultures different here is the value of life. In America, life is precious, every single person counts for something. Although over here in Kuwait, life is "considered" precious, but it doesn't seem to be.

I have heard in the news that a dead body was lying on the side of the road and visible for several days before authorities decided to clean it up. Kuwaitis don't really care about third-country nationals (TCN's). They are immigrants from other countries seeking work, sort of similar to Mexicans crossing the American border to seek a better life(sorry for the analogy, but it's true). When I leave the confines of the base, most of the population I see are Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankian, or Philipino. If they die, nobody seems to care. There is a lot of poverty here. I notice that there is a lot of sheep herders and camel herders. But I have also seen some clean places in Kuwait City which resemble what San Diego looks like.

Camel hiding behind sign
It is interesting to see wild camels and seeing baby camels running alongside their mother. There's no other place in the world where I would see this type of stuff.

War Stories
Some of the people that I am working with have been here more than once. And they are more than happy to share their war stories with me. The soil I'm standing on was once occupied by the Iraqi army in the early 90s until the U.S. Military pushed them all out. Land cruising missiles used to attack random targets in Kuwait and soldiers were peeing their pants while stationed here about 2 years ago, an senior hospital corpsman recalls. Many say, "I've been to Iraq." "There are explosions and gunfire still being heard across the border." "I've seen the statue of Saddam being taken down." "If I had invested in Kuwaiti Dinars, I'd be rich." All kinds of stories. Very interesting stories, I wish I can write them all and publish, but thankfully, they aren't my stories to tell. Although I haven't seen the face of war, I still hear the thundering explosions here and there.