thedrifter
11-19-08, 10:07 AM
Naval hospital gives nod to those who care for troops
PORTSMOUTH
Cmdr. Sean Barbabella helped care for more than 1,200 trauma patients, mostly Marines wounded in combat, during seven months in Iraq last year.
One who made an indelible impression on the Navy doctor was Lex, a bomb-sniffing German shepherd wounded alongside his handler, Marine Cpl. Dustin Lee, in a mortar attack.
Barbabella watched as the dog, limping from shrapnel wounds, ran alongside Lee's gurney as it was rushed from a helicopter to the trauma bay at Al Taqqadum.
Lex sat, unmoving, as a team of medical personnel tried to save the mortally wounded Marine.
"The loyalty, courage and commitment the dog showed to his duties and his handler is an example to all of us," said Barbabella, who shared Lex's story Tuesday at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in honor of Warrior Care Month.
Barbabella is one of more than 1,670 medical personnel from Portsmouth who have deployed overseas in support of the U.S. military since 2003. The group includes nurses, pharmacists, dental technicians and corpsmen. An additional 794 sailors have deployed with Marine units, according to a hospital spokes-woman.
Capt. Craig Bonnema, the medical center's deputy commander, said service members wounded in war are heroes, but their caregivers also deserve recognition.
"These are the people that have been forward-deployed, taking care of our troops. There's a psychic toll that goes along with that, too," Bonnema said before cutting a cake in the medical center's cafeteria.
Lt. Cmdr. Sara Pickett left behind 10-month-old and 3-year-old sons in August 2007 to serve as a nurse in a surgical unit at Camp Fallujah.
Though she missed all the "major holidays," Pickett said she was energized by the teamwork and camaraderie of the deployment. The job varied widely, from accompanying critically injured troops on helicopter rides to other bases, to caring for a military dog that ate explosives. (The dog was fine.)
Another one of the nine featured caregivers was Lt. Michelle Maurer, who served at Al Taqqadum for six months, starting in late 2005.
Maurer, a trauma nurse, said she learned to rely on masking tape and duct tape in place of high-tech equipment. If she was flying alongside a patient on a choppy helicopter ride, for instance, she'd tape the patient to the stretcher to reduce jostling.
When multiple casualties crowded the clinic, anyone inside could get pressed into service. Maurer described a Marine commanding general who visited the emergency room getting put to work. The general held a bag of blood in each hand, squeezing blood into two Marines.
Sometimes, Maurer said, troops were injured so grievously that the goal was to get them back to the United States before they died.
"Keeping them alive and getting them home to their families, even if it's only for a few weeks or a few hours, that's very valuable," Maurer said.
Barbabella was impressed by the concern that injured Marines and soldiers showed for their battle buddies. He'd often work on seriously injured patients who would ask for reassurance about a buddy's fate - something the German shepherd seemed to do even without words.
His team of medical personnel were cheered to learn that Lex came out of surgery fine. The dog passed through Al Taqqadum on his way back to the States, and he was later adopted by Lee's parents.
"It was a morale booster," Barbabella said of Lex's visit.
The German shepherd was awarded a commemorative Purple Heart.
Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com
Ellie
PORTSMOUTH
Cmdr. Sean Barbabella helped care for more than 1,200 trauma patients, mostly Marines wounded in combat, during seven months in Iraq last year.
One who made an indelible impression on the Navy doctor was Lex, a bomb-sniffing German shepherd wounded alongside his handler, Marine Cpl. Dustin Lee, in a mortar attack.
Barbabella watched as the dog, limping from shrapnel wounds, ran alongside Lee's gurney as it was rushed from a helicopter to the trauma bay at Al Taqqadum.
Lex sat, unmoving, as a team of medical personnel tried to save the mortally wounded Marine.
"The loyalty, courage and commitment the dog showed to his duties and his handler is an example to all of us," said Barbabella, who shared Lex's story Tuesday at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in honor of Warrior Care Month.
Barbabella is one of more than 1,670 medical personnel from Portsmouth who have deployed overseas in support of the U.S. military since 2003. The group includes nurses, pharmacists, dental technicians and corpsmen. An additional 794 sailors have deployed with Marine units, according to a hospital spokes-woman.
Capt. Craig Bonnema, the medical center's deputy commander, said service members wounded in war are heroes, but their caregivers also deserve recognition.
"These are the people that have been forward-deployed, taking care of our troops. There's a psychic toll that goes along with that, too," Bonnema said before cutting a cake in the medical center's cafeteria.
Lt. Cmdr. Sara Pickett left behind 10-month-old and 3-year-old sons in August 2007 to serve as a nurse in a surgical unit at Camp Fallujah.
Though she missed all the "major holidays," Pickett said she was energized by the teamwork and camaraderie of the deployment. The job varied widely, from accompanying critically injured troops on helicopter rides to other bases, to caring for a military dog that ate explosives. (The dog was fine.)
Another one of the nine featured caregivers was Lt. Michelle Maurer, who served at Al Taqqadum for six months, starting in late 2005.
Maurer, a trauma nurse, said she learned to rely on masking tape and duct tape in place of high-tech equipment. If she was flying alongside a patient on a choppy helicopter ride, for instance, she'd tape the patient to the stretcher to reduce jostling.
When multiple casualties crowded the clinic, anyone inside could get pressed into service. Maurer described a Marine commanding general who visited the emergency room getting put to work. The general held a bag of blood in each hand, squeezing blood into two Marines.
Sometimes, Maurer said, troops were injured so grievously that the goal was to get them back to the United States before they died.
"Keeping them alive and getting them home to their families, even if it's only for a few weeks or a few hours, that's very valuable," Maurer said.
Barbabella was impressed by the concern that injured Marines and soldiers showed for their battle buddies. He'd often work on seriously injured patients who would ask for reassurance about a buddy's fate - something the German shepherd seemed to do even without words.
His team of medical personnel were cheered to learn that Lex came out of surgery fine. The dog passed through Al Taqqadum on his way back to the States, and he was later adopted by Lee's parents.
"It was a morale booster," Barbabella said of Lex's visit.
The German shepherd was awarded a commemorative Purple Heart.
Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com
Ellie