My big 3-0 , JBB style

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! 

I turned the big 3-0 in Iraq this year.  My wonderful mother sent me a box of labeled gifts for my birthday along with gifts from my grandma, aunt and friends. Thank you ALL SO MUCH for helping make my day a GREAT one!  It was fun to open gifts and see what I'm missing in the states! ha ha

 Me and all my great stuff................................

I got some awesome lotions, flip flops, sour straws, fan, water balloons, peach bellini mix, my FAVORITE CANDY..Golden Crumbles, and so many cards.

My office suprised me with a luncheon at the office, lumpia, wings, macaroni salad and a fresh made birthday.  Yes I sang and danced too, are you suprised! ha ha

I was in a First Sgt Sympsium on my b-day and shared my cupcakes mom sent me in b-day package. It was also another guys b-day in class.  I turend 30 and he turned 55!

I ended the day at salsa lesson night.  They suprised me AGAIN with an awesome cake and singing happy birthday to me.  The cake was an easter cake that they wrote B-day over the top!  It was teh cutest thing!

It meant so much to feel special on my day.  I am so lucky to have the greatest family and friends back home that emailed, sent cards and thought of me on my day.  I am very greatful to be surrounded by the most wonderful AF and now also Army family!

Mothers Day JBB style

HAPPY LATE MOTHERS DAY! I'm so thankful to have the two beautiful, lively daughters I have.  I'm blessed to have the most wonderful mother myself, always been such a role model for me and always there for me when I need her.  I can only hope to be the kind of mother to my girls she is to me.  I hope everyone gave their mother a hug or gave them a call on their day if that was possible. 

Here in Iraq, I put together a little "spa day" for our mothers.  It was open to men and women, and we had a set up to do manicures or pedicures.  It was a LOT of fun and people had a good time.

Here are some pictures!



Hand/Foot sea salt scrubs





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Pedicure area, tubs already filled with goodies







My co-worker doing her manicure




My good friend Yatika doing my toes :) YAY FOR ME



Manicure Table

                                                                                                                                                         

Wounded Warriors return to JBB for visit......

Warriors walking through Hero's Highway....unlike before on a litter

I had the honor of being here when the wounded warrior program sent 6 amazing soldiers back to Joint Base Balad for "closure" on their part.  These soldiers had been stationed throughout Iraq between 2003-2010 and were injured during combat, causing them to have to be med-evaced (by helicopter search and rescue that I showed in the previous blog) to our hospital here on JBB.  Two of the soldiers were even here in Iraq on 2 different tours and injured BOTH times having to come through our trauma hospital to be stabilized in order to survive to make it to Germany for surgery.  These hero's are physically wounded, one was blind, another blind in one eye, two with prosthetic legs, one with a bullet in his head for life.  They came and talked about what they could remember about their journey, told us their stories.  They were very emotional and so humble.  It was amazing to see a strong bond they all had just for the fact they were all "saved" in the hospital here, they all lost brothers in combat, they all serve with honor STILL helping other wounded soldiers recover/recuperate.  I cannot imagine the battle they have been through, and am so grateful for each of them.  Iraq is a different place than it was when they were here, and it's because of their sacrifice  I am not exposed to the same "life" they were then.

Hero's Highway is the "gateway" where over 30,000 injuried warriors have traveled from their rescue helicopter into the Joint Base balad Emergency Room for life saving treatment.  Once stable enough to travel they return back through Hero's Highway onto a helicopter to Landstuhl Germany for care before going back to the U.S.

Helicopters are coming in...there were 4 helicopters total



332nd EMDG personnel waiting for the arrival.
We stood in line then cheered as the wounded
warrior walked from Hero's Highway into our Emergency Deparment, unlike the time they
traveled through before via litter.



Helicopter landing on other side of Hero's Highway

Stopping for a group photo and quick video clip for TV news

Each warrior told us his story, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. 
They were all so humble, and greatful for the care they received.   Many talked
about their family back home, the progress they've made, and their
fellow brothers who did not survive.

Helicopter Tour

So i had to go out to a shop to do a health risk assessment.  We go out and get a listing of current personnel who work in the shop, what PPE they wear, what chemicals they work with, what noise equipment they have, any radiation, radio frequency, ergonomic issues, respirators, confined spaces and so on.  We make sure workers aren't doing anything that could cause harm to their health.  I am the Air Force equivilant to what Occupational Helath and Safety does in the "civilian world".  SO this shop I went ot visit is helicopter maintenance.  They are kinda like a nascar team because they all come to deployed sites with all their people, equipment for their specific aircraft/helo from their home statoins.  This crew here now is from Nellis and it's the HH-60 helo that is used during search and recovery operation.  Luckily they aren't that busy having to do search and recovery operations here...so I got my own personnal photo shoot with the helo's while I was there! It was super fun!!!  Here they are! Enjoy



With the "mini-gun", the Minigun is a 7.62 mm, multi-barrel heavy machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute)

 




Me in the hot seat




They said I needed to "look tough" if I was shooting the mini-gun so this is as close as I could get!



Iraqi Air Force General assassinated

I received some sad news today from the head Nurse here at JBB.  I went to Baghdad with her and a small group of 6 people back in March.  I had recently posted some of the pictures from our trip.  Unfortunatly, the deputy commander of the Iraqi Air Force that we met on that trip was assassinated yesterday.

Here is the article:

BAGHDAD, April 28, 2011 (AFP) - Gunmen using silenced pistols shot dead

a senior Iraqi general in Baghdad on Thursday, an official said, the

latest in a spate of assassinations of top military and civilian

officials. 

The killing of Brigadier General Mohammed Alaa Jassim was the fourth of

a senior Iraqi official in the past week, with at least three others

having narrowly escaped death in that time.

Jassim, the deputy commander of the Iraqi air force's Al-Muthanna base

in central Baghdad, was in his car on a busy thoroughfare in the

Ghazaliyah neighbourhood in the capital's west when he was killed, an

interior ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The group of us who went to Baghdad had the honor of meeting, having lunch and spending an afternoon with General Mohammed and his Iraqi Air Force troops who were being trained by our medical technicians at Victory Base in Baghdad.  General Mohammed was very charismatic, shared a lot of life stories with us in his office while we were there then invited us to come back for lunch with him.  He told me I had a beautiful smile and to never stop smiling.  He also gave me a china tea cup from him office before we left to remember my trip by.  He was trying to instill the US Forces way of life onto his Iraqi Air Force troops and was very passionate about making Iraq a great country.  I am thankful to have gotten to meet him, and see the work the U.S. forces and Iraqi Air Force are doing jointly to make Iraq a better place.

I will never forget General Mohammed and thank him so much for everything he did trying to make his country a better place! 

March and April come and go.....

Hello from JBB! March has come and gone and April is almost over! Whew! We've been working hard 6 days a week, 10 hrs a day but here are some of the more "exciting" events from the past few months!



                                                        This fish a soldier had while

being treated here at JBB many years ago, the soldier unfortunately didn't survive.  The hospital is trying to get the fish back to his wife and child back in the states since JBB is closing.

 This is what the dust storms look like when they start rolling in.  I didn't take this photo.  We have to wear goggles, face masks helmets and all sorts of gear to keep the dust/sand/dirt out of our mouths/eyes/ears.  It's gross....and the dust covers everything for days!

 Here is me and my co-worker Linda getting to practice shooting at the range.  We are required to carry weapons here now, but this is the only place were allowed to actually have the magazine and ammo in the weapon.



Opening Ceremony



 JBB did a Relay for Life walk on 26-27 March. We put a team together that was AF/Army who work in the Joint Medical Ooperations Building (JMOB) I work in everyday.  The Army units I work with in my building are the Blood Warriors who keep track of how much blood we have and need in Iraq and then the Army Preventive Medicine Unit who test water and do some of the "Occupational Health" duties I do as in the Air Force.  It's been interesting working so closely with the Army, their way of thinking is defiantly different than ours!  However, we came together and walked in honor and memory of the friends/family members we know who have been affected by Cancer. We took 2 hour shifts and walked for 24 hours straight.   The base had different bands and entertainment come out to keep us going through the night.  It was a really great event!



Starting the Night Luminary Ceremony




One of the Army Relay Teams

  


<> Me and Lauren on lap 1

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Hard to see but they used light sticks and wrote "HOPE" in the stands, along with we could make luminary bottles that were placed all around the 1/4 mile track.  I made one in Memory of my Papa, Kent Enevoldsen, Leslie Clements and in honor of Cleta Spore, Amos Simpson, Jerri Spore

 

      

For St. Paddy's Day we had a "Mustache Contest", a near-beer pong contest and some other festivities at the hospital.  I won second place for my fabulous stache'.  The horrible part was I hate hair and I couldn't smile without it falling off.  My stache' was actual hair from one of the Army girls "weaves" that she didn't use.  I'm keeping it as a souvenir to give to a co-worker of mine back at Tinker who I always give a hard time about his facial hair. (YUCK!)

Here is our equipment room I've been trying to organize and clean up! The suits in the right corner are our Level A suits that we wear during "unknown" response emergencies.  I've gotten rid of 23 pieces of equipment this past week and still have about 15 more things to get rid of so our next rotation won't have to worry about it.

Here is a picture of Brent and the girls! They are hanging in there.  Brent's mom came and stayed with him and the girls the month of March to help while he worked part time for the Thunder basketball games.  Brent has been adventuring out with the girls to the movies, parks, zoo, omniplex, chuck-e-cheese. 

I've started taking Salsa dance lessons on Monday nights with my old Biology Lab partner, which is super fun! Hopefully I'll get some pics there soon and be able to share them.  Maybe I'll be able to talk Brent into trying dance lessons when I get home...ha ha. 

I'm enjoying the decent weather we are having now (mid 70's/80's) and I try to go to the pool once a week to get some sun....amazing what some Vitamin D can do for the soul.  The pool is an olympic sized pool that was convieniently here when we decided to build up the base.  I get to go test the water at the pool every other Friday and I'm trying to get my boss to just let me spend the day there on the days I have to test the water....just in case of any "emergencies" - he still hasn't agreed!

I'm finally down to 60something days.  This past week was a tough one for my family remembering the final days my papa was with us, but we also got to celebrate my mom's birthday and life we still have with her.

I hope everyone is taking care of yourself and eachother! Keep smiling.........

Trip to Baghdad (well Victory Base in Baghdad)

So I'm trying something new, since I've tried to send out my last two newsletter with lots of rejections because I add too many pictures!   Sorry it's taken me a month to figure it out!

 I got selected to go on a trip 60km or so south to Victory Base in Baghdad.  We went ot see how the medical facilities operate there, visit the Iraqi Air Force base that the Air Force is trianing on how to deal with trama and care of patients for when they take over medical care at the end of the year.  We visited the Al Fwa palace, which was one of Sadams' palaces and the Victory over America/Iran palace that we (US) bomed during our search in 2003.   

Here are some of the amazing things I got to see on my trip!



Yep...me, hanging out in Sadam's palace chair...at Al Fwa palace.



 

Traditional ceilings Sadam had in his palaces.  They were all very detailed wooden carved and hand patined pieces; very beautiful (@Al Fwa Palace)




Walking up the steps in the destroyed Victory over American/Iran palace

 



Entrance to the Iraqi Air Force Base portion that's located on the Army Victory Base.  The Iraqi Air Force members we met and visted with were medical personnel. 



My JBB AIr Force Medical Group members who traveled with me and the Iraqi Air Force General: General Mahamad




Victory over America/Iran Palace




Al Fwa palace where we went to an Army Transfer of Authority
Cermony and did some sight seeing



 



 



View across a second floor "viewing" room that Sadam liked to have so he could
watch over his guests during his hosted parties



Where the bomb came through the Victory over America/Iran palace





        From top of Victory over America/Iran Palace into Baghdad city

So it was like a mini-vacation and I was lucky to get to go.  I honestly had NO desire to go off base once I got here but the opportunity came up and we flew.   We were hoping to get to fly in a Black Hawk helicopter but I didn't get to.  I did get to ride in a Chinook helicopter though which was AWESOME.  It was really cool to get to see first hand the trianing of Iraqi medical troops and meet the Iraqi Air Force General.  The time period I am here serving in Iraq is called "Operation New Dawn" because it focuses on what the Iraqi Military and citizens will have to take over once our military forces leave here at the end of the year.

The trip was AWESOME butg I have also been busy at work  going through our equipment and find out if other bases need it or if I can go ahead and turn it in to be returned to the good' ol U.S.A.  I've already turned in over 130 items and have 30 pieces of eqiupment I'm turning in.  The more I can do the less people will have to do after me!

Until next time..........keep smiling:)