I'm beginning to think I cannot take this any more...

David Morton · Aug 14, 2009

from the Times on line:

Blood and bravery on the table: inside military hospital Camp Bastion

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(Marco Di Lauro)

Careful preparations are made for surgery at Camp Bastion military hospital in Helmand

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Anthony Loyd, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan



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<STYLE type=text/css>div#related-article-links p a, div#related-article-links p a:visited {color:#06c;} </STYLE>Beneath the warmth of the early morning summer sky a familiar routine begins at Camp Bastion’s hospital. The bodies of three British soldiers, brought in by a Chinook medical emergency response team shortly after 6am, are already lying in the mortuary.
Two were killed in action, the third died of wounds before he could be operated on. A fourth British soldier, an additional morning arrival, lay sedated in intensive care, with a leg blown off.
A team of medics and two chaplains were waiting at the main hospital entrance for the next helicopter to touch down. “We’re in the middle of a s*** morning and it’s getting worse,” remarked Captain Cat Kemeny, the hospital’s adjutant. “We’ve got four more UK casualties coming in from three incidents. The next we’re expecting is a double amputee.”
She had barely finished speaking when a Chinook landed near by and unloaded the newest casualty. On the stretcher lay a beautiful young man in bloody uniform, his face unmarked by the terrible injuries that had ended one of his legs above the knee and stripped the second to little more than bone. “Welcome to Helmand,” Colonel Tim Hodgetts, the hospital’s medical director, murmured beside me.
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With the 200th British death sadly imminent, the decision to send just 3,300 troops to Helmand was dangerously shortsighted

Michael Evans



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It seemed incredible that this latest, war-ravaged emblem of youth was even alive. More than that, though, he was still conscious, opening his eyes briefly as Colonel Hodgetts squeezed his shoulder and told him he would be looked after, confirming his name in a quiet voice. They wheeled his stretcher past the hospital’s resuscitation bays and into the operating theatre, where a combined emergency team of British, American and Danish surgeons and nurses began their work upon his shattered frame.
“He was taking it like a trooper,” the American Chinook crewman said. “We didn’t manage to get any pain treatment on him and he was taking it.”
Bastion’s military hospital has transformed itself since British troops set up base here in 2006, developing from an ad hoc collection of tents into one of the world’s busiest trauma hospitals, treating 623 patients in the past three weeks alone. More than half of these have been British soldiers, the rest a combination of International Security Assistance Force troops, Afghan soldiers and civilians.
This figure, which includes non-combat-related injuries, is higher than any other recorded so far in Helmand province in any similar period, as the Taleban’s bombing campaign has reached new levels of ferocity.
Within an hour, more casualties had arrived: a British soldier with part of his face blown off; another with back injuries sustained in a blast from a makeshift bomb; another shot through the throat. “This guy should buy a lottery ticket,” said Captain Joe Rappold, the US Naval officer heading the emergency team. “The bullet skimmed his carotid artery by millimetres — he’s a lucky guy.”
British-run, but staffed by a trination group of 190 medical personnel, predominantly Danish, the hospital has only 28 beds. It flies its more serious casualties back to Britain as soon as possible. In times of extreme crisis, however — such as happened on Monday, when ten very serious cases arrived, some of them children — it can perform its own limited “surge”, setting up impromptu resuscitation units as required.
Colonel Hodgetts, 47, veteran of four tours of Iraq, directs the hospital’s medical practices. He arrived back at Bastion for his third Afghan tour in mid-July. Despite the appalling workload that at times has had staff working 22-hour days (“You have to make them sleep for two hours or else everyone falls over”) he is proud of the survival rate of the wounded that has been achieved by his staff.
From April 2006 to July 2008, of 296 British “major trauma” survivors to be treated in Bastion, 75 had been expected to die because of the gravity of their wounds. Colonel Hodgetts expects the rate of these “unexpected survivors” to be even higher for the more recent period.
“The speed and aggressiveness with which we resuscitate, the tools we use — it’s way beyond what most hospitals are capable of. Get them to our hospital alive. That gives us an opportunity to do what we can do, which is a paradigm so far beyond my NHS experience it is hard to explain.”
He paused on his speedy rounds of the hospital to fill out a form for the double amputee, ticking the box marked “VSI” (very seriously injured); the category that will allow the soldier’s family, who were imminently to receive the knock on the door telling them of their man’s fate, immediate transport to Birmingham to meet him off the aircraft.
“Different things affect different people,” he said afterwards. “Some of my younger medics have never seen anything like this before. Some are affected by what they see, others by what a wounded soldier may say. Myself, it’s probably ‘Rose Cottage’ — the morgue. There’s often something quite horrific about the injuries there: individuals arriving in multiple bags. Not good to deal with. I have seen over 60 bodies there this time.”
The next casualty to arrive did not survive. Weighing barely 13lb (6kg), a tiny Afghan girl a few months old, very sick — possibly with meningitis — she arrived on a Chinook, having been discovered by US troops. A team laboured for half an hour to save her, but to no avail.
“I think there is nothing more we can do,” one of the Danes finally said, above the frantic labouring of the child’s chest. “I propose we stop treatment. Is there anyone who disagrees?”
None did. Treatment stopped. The little girl died, then and there, on the table of Resus Bay 3.
For an awful second I thought I might choke; an unforgivable act of weakness in front of the calm resolve of the young medics.
“Don’t think we are immune from all this,” said one as I walked away, as humbled as I can recall.

slowhand · Aug 14, 2009

Damn. When are we going to learn that if you fight a war, go in with the most massive army you can muster, supply it with state of the art equipment, provide around the clock air and drone support armed with ordinance and blast the enemy into the stone age. The rebuilding can begin after the resistance is shattered or eradicated.
I saw the inept management in Vietnam and it never changes. The pols worry about world opinion instead of the men and women they send into harm's way. This is and always will be a script written for disaster. Enough of this "honorable' war strategy...let's fight the way we know how or get out.

My sympathies for these brave souls David. Please excuse the rant.
Garry

molleur · Aug 14, 2009

+1 Garry

A.J. · Aug 14, 2009

David, it is no consolation but many of us ehco that sentiment. Truly,the only thing worse is being there. I'm reminded of it every time I set off a metal detector in an airport or walk through a VA hospital. The price of war is paid by our youth,the brave men and women who struggle to keep others free. That includes the medical teams who have to cope with life and death decisions every minute. I firmly believe no one should hold a political office or position wherein they are responsible for sending troops into battle without first having been there themselves. Please don't lose the sensitivity to this as it keeps us sane and reminds us to continually ask if it is worth the cost. A.J.

David Briggs · Aug 17, 2009

You are all correct, if we are going to be there it should be a maximum effort.
This is a very similar situation as Vietnam.
All the fighting there was done in the South, everybody knew where the Bad Guys came from but we could not go there, once we did go there (in 1972) it was all over very quickly, but when we pulled out (Peace with Honor) the South was taken over anyway.
The South lacked the will to fight for what they had.
We know who supports the Taliban, Hamas, Al Queda, Hezbolla etc and once we take the fight to them, kill their civilians, destroy their markets, schools, cultural icons, infrastrucure and economy then all this bullshit will cease.
But the bottom line is, there is nothing in that part of the world that is worth one British or American life.
No matter how many of our troops die or are maimed there, once we leave it will all be for naught.
If the people in that reguion are unhappy with their lives they need to rise up and change it, we should not be there trying to do it for them.
IMHO

crash33 · Aug 17, 2009

I have said roughly that from the beginning. In both Iraq and Afghanistan we should have struck hard, struck fast, showed no mercy, and gotten out. The message should have been, "You/your people attacked us. When that happens, we will retaliate ten fold. Don't attack us again or it will increase to 50 fold, or until your country no longer exists. We will do what we have to to keep our people safe."

In Iraq's case, history should be looked at. At least when Saddam came into power and how that happened. There was a lot of bad history there with the US.

That said, any war fought where there are boots on the ground will have casualties. Sad, brutal casualties. It is a fact, and, IMHO, should be THE issue that is considered above all else when deciding whether to go to war or not.

THAT said, this has gone on too long. Bring our people home.

molleur · Aug 17, 2009

Crash, you got it RIGHT!

David Morton · Aug 17, 2009

Petitions to government offices are a waste of time. The pen will always be the mightiest weapon so use yours to good effect and write to your Pime Minister / President. For every letter they receive their will be another hundred letters being sent and a thousand people thinking along the same lines.
Making your views known in writing is the best way forward.

Keith1 · Aug 17, 2009

It's also worth remembering that these people have never been defeated. The British Army has a long and chequered history with these tribes going back to the days of the infamous "North West Frontier" and the Pathans.

It is really stupid to talk of "superior firepower" in this situation. Nobody ever won a war in a region with substantial civilian support. You cannot win a war of hearts and minds with ancient tribes with equally ancient ideals and rituals, Muslim or not.

It's got nothing to do with Vietnam either. This war (Afghanistan) has a purpose. It's a war of embarassement. Americans supplied these people originally and trained them in recent history. Their leaders were partners with George Bush but they still whupped the best the Soviet Union could send against them. Now they are whupping "Nato" (read the Us army) Worse, the CIA gave them Stingers, but they would eventually whup anyone's ass even if they were armed with muzzle loaders (which some of them still are).

Just face it, you cannot beat these people by force of arms, nor, can you buy them as long as white poppies exist. You want to make a difference? Ask why the poppy fields have not been destroyed with napalm a long time ago and the fields treated with Agent Orange? It's an economic war my friends, and the butchers bill is being paid by very brave grunts.

Money money money - it ain't funny, it's a rich man's world... la di da.

molleur · Aug 17, 2009

You nailed it Keith, in very few words!

Pete · Aug 17, 2009

molleur said:
You nailed it Keith, in very few words!

+1 So sad.

Freewheel · Aug 18, 2009

Dave,

I was struggling to find words for my response, and along comes Keith with everything I was looking for, and a whole lot more.

Keith, Ta.

Nick Brough · Aug 18, 2009

Keith,

Thanks for your post.

I visited the War Tunnels exhibition in Jersey last week. I have never had to live under an occupying force but this is what was written by someone who has.

“There is nothing noble about military occupation, from the viewpoint of the occupied it is a period of continuing humiliation, for the occupier it is often a corrosive and corrupting experience”.

Regards

Nick

David Morton · Aug 18, 2009

If only a small handful of all of us manages to pick up a pen and write to our /your respective 'leaders' I feel I will be getting through. Please do it. It costs a few minutes, an envelope and a piece of paper plus a single postage stamp. You would probably spend more time reading a petition and going through the motions of signing up to it than you would writing a letter. You know it makes sense and if you want me to google up some addresses for you - let me know.

David Briggs · Aug 18, 2009

I agree with Keith as well, my comment about Vietnam was only about the policy of where and how we conducted the war, we never went to the source and that is happening in Afganistan as well.
As far as defeating the Taliban I don't think that is possible either, the people of Afganistan may feel that the Taliban more closely represent the way they see the world and may just view us as the latest occupier/oppressor.
It is difficult to defeat an enemy who looks like the people you are trying to protect.
As far as the poppy fields go I to do not understand why they cannot be destroyed, it is a major cash crop to the locals but it would be cheaper to pay them not to farm (like we do in the US) then to wait and deal with the affect of the drugs here at home.
Dave

Cliffbeer2 · Aug 18, 2009

The long term "fight" doesn't occur on the battlefield, it occurs in the civilian realm - the ability to establish jobs and opportunitiy for all, civil rights, a functioning court/judicial system, representative government, religeous freedom, education and health systems, etc. You establish these things and you have a shot at avoiding deaths on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the frailties of human nature (greed, power/control, ego) get in the way all too frequently and we're left with this tribal warfare situation with a foreign occupier (typically the US because the europeans are too "restrained" to commit to a really large presence/force) trying to make the best of the situation. No disrepect intended to the UK/EU forces and families that have suffered the tragic loss of loved ones, each death is such a painful reminder of the craziness of these occupations and the sequence of events that brings a foreign occupier to be there in the first place.

Here's my take-away from these situations: when crazy people get into power (Hitler, Saddam, Kim Jong-il along with many more ancient historical figures) other people inevitably die (sometimes thousands or millions) because these crazies set into motion a sequence of events (trypically driven by their egos and ruthlessness) that is just plain destructive. When nuclear weapons are added to the mix the potential for mass devastation becomes enormous. Beware of the fundamentalist/extreme leader who waves his/her hand and spews out exactly what the people want to hear.....

Al Wohlstrom · Aug 23, 2009

This may not be popular, but what makes us think that we can force our brand of freedom on a people that are living 600 years in the past. For crying out loud, they still stone rape victims! We are wasting precious US, British, Australian and our other allies young peoples lives for people that aren't worth the price we are paying. As soon as we leave they will go back to their bullshit backward lives and hate us more than they hated us before. Our politicians will sit on their pompous asses safely at home and periodically send more young cannon fodder over to get maimed or die. As a nation we need to rethink what exactly we are responsible for in this world. We ought to be thinking about the future of The United States of America and the well being of our faithful and giving allies. Screw the rest of the world!

A.J. · Aug 23, 2009

Something to ponder.

Viet Nam and Iraq - similarities - A war fought :
half way round the world
for people who hated us
for people who didn't want us on their soil
for reasons our government never truthfully explained
for which war was never declared
for foreign leaders who pocketed most of the funding
where we were the ONLY ones who fought by the 'rules'
where you had to get 'permission' to fire back
where our troops were never supported in trying to win the respect of locals
where any ground you gained during the day reverted back to their control at nightfall
where you couldn't tell the civilians from the enemy
where the enemy used children to perform horrendous acts like suicide bombing
where anything outside your wire perimeter was hostile
where our citizens were mostly against the war but the government did it anyway
where our leaders made decisions based on their own agenda, not Congress
where there was no front line
where our tired soldiers went back for tour after tour
where the enemy flourished in the face of devastating air power even though they had none
where it was tough enough just staying alive,even without the war
where the enemy used horrific means to kill and maime our soldiers like booby traps and roadside bombs
where our soldiers had to fight in brutal,unfamiliar environmental conditions
against a force to whom another powerful country was supplying weapons
where years of previous fighting by other countries produced no noticeable change and ended in defeat
where our troops were forced to use their own resources and ingenuity to develop ways to defend themselves

differences:
Viet Nam - jungle
Iraq - sand dunes

Afghanistan differs only in that the people who directly attacked us on our own soil were trained there.
Iraq has,seemingly,a functioning US supported government at present but I would say the jury is still out on that one - time will tell.
I know this comparison may piss off some people. It is only my opinion but I was there for at least one of them and have studied the other closely. If I'm off track you're free ( in the western world ) to correct me.
A.J.

Pete · Aug 23, 2009

AJ I don't think you are off track at all. Goverment's and the people it seems fail to learn from history.

molleur · Aug 23, 2009

+1 AJ!

I'm beginning to think I cannot take this any more...

David Morton

Garry

Jack

Al Jones

David Briggs

Mike

Jack

David Morton

Keith

Jack

Pete McCluskey.

Price Walton

Nick

David Morton

David Briggs

Cliff Beer

Al Wohlstrom

Al Jones

Pete McCluskey.

Jack

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