August 10th, 2013
FOB Freedom, Fort McCoy, WI
I got back from Nepal in late April and started working back at Fort Irwin. Due to budget cuts, a number of Brigade Combat Team training rotations at Irwin were cancelled, so they put me working at the Troop Medical Clinic (TMC) for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. I work with Army medics and treat soldiers just like in the Dustbowl, but in a regular building with a nicer environment.
Now, in August, I am spending three weeks in uniform with the Army Reserves on a large exercise at Fort McCoy, WI. Similar work to what I do in the Dustbowl, but longer hours and I’m in uniform. I have 5-6 medics working for me and I am the sole medical provider on the FOB.
We live on a FOB (Forward Operating Base) that houses about 1400 soldiers. 4-5 other FOBs are also in play here. We sleep in fixed tents that have a hard floor, bunk beds with real mattresses, a wall locker and a foot locker, and HVAC. No so bad.
Food is in the DFAC (“dee-fack” or Dining Facility). Hot breakfast and dinner, MREs for lunch. The food in decent, if not exciting. Showers are communal, but the water is hot.
Typical Day
Up at 0515. Shit, shave, and in the Aid Station for Sick Call 0600-0800. See patients as the come in and are screened by the medics. Sometime before 0800, sneak out to DFAC to grab a plate for chow to go and dash back to aid station to see any late stragglers coming in for Sick Call. At 0755 dash down to Brigade HQ for a staff meeting with the Deputy Brigade Commander which last about 30-45 minutes.
0845-0915, check TacNet for any incoming messages of interest to the Brigade Surgeon (me), check with S1 and S3 if they have anything for me. Back to Aid Station and rest of morning treating any patients who come in, making any coordination calls necessary for the exercise, and updating my PowerPoint slides for the 1100 Brigade Commander’s Update Brief (CUB). The Powerpoint slides are a back up to CPOF (Command Post of the Future) slides that I made the previous night.
1100-1230, Commander’s Update Brief. I have a slide or two and my part of the brief is…brief. The briefing is done via computer terminal that project on a large screen. You brief via a headset with headphones and a microphone. Some of the briefers and some of the audience are at remote locations and are networked in. It’s not a bad system but new to us and we’re still getting used to it.
1230-1300, enjoy a delicious MRE.
1300-1800 Further Surgeon coordination with medical units, higher HQ, and subordinate units. Informal training with medics. Seeing any patients that come in. Paperwork including patient charts, accident reports, medical supply ordering.
1800 Hot chow at the DFAC.
1830-2230, see above for 1300-1800. We usually get some patients coming in late. We should be enforcing Sick Call hours, but injuries happen all day, people are working odd shifts, and convoys sometimes return late in the evening, so we see ’em as they arrive. If I’m lucky I escape about 2230, sometime closer to midnight. Then a shower and to bed.
If that seems like a long day, my hours are not as long as most the officers on Brigade staff.
