Recently at Ft. Rucker, Alabama I completed the 'Dunker' course which is two days of fun in the classroom and the pool in Helicopter Overwater Survival Training (HOST). The course is taught by a bunch of old(er) retired Navy rescue swimmers- so as you can imagine, they have a lot of fun but also take the training very seriously!
Check out the video here on YouTube!
The large contraption being lowered into the water is designed to replicate the cockpit and crew cabins of various Army helicopters. Each door and window is designed to simulate those of the Blackhawk, Chinook, or Apache aircrafts. After a series of initial training, we strap in to the crew seats of the dunker and prepare for the ride! At the 15 second mark on the video, you see the Dunker complete its rollover- this is when the escape sequence begins. During the first stage of training we used bottled air, so the sequence goes 1)insert and clear regulator 2) find reference point 3) unbuckle seatbelt 4) jettison doorway 5)escape. This all takes about 10-15 seconds on a good day. Remember, all of this is after flipping upside down in 15 feet of water! After becoming comfortable with bottled air we go lights out! The fun really begins when you are six feet below water, upside down, and wearing blacked out goggles- a true test of anybodies ability to stay cool, calm, and collected. Eventually we progress to 'nighttime/no air' and finally some exercises in dround proofing and use of life rafts. Not a bad day at the office, eh. It's hard to call this "work" somedays.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
A User's Manual to Seat 21C
This hilarious blog entry on the NYTimes Blog "Jet Lagged: Navigating the Unfriendly Skies" left me rolling yesterday in the library! Beware: you may burst out in laughter while reading this article! Do not spray coffee all over your keyboard- I've heard it's not very good for the computer. Rarely does a writer come along that can turn a very common experience for thousands of people into such a comical journey.
Enjoy, Z
Enjoy, Z
Friday, January 4, 2008
Injured Mountaineer Returns to Combat
Following this holiday season, students and workers around the world head back to their respective occupations, having hopefully enjoyed a relaxing Christmas and New Years holiday. Yet one WVU Mountaineer alumnus- after months of surgery, recovery, and rehab- is heading back to an altogether different type of work place: the perilous streets of Baghdad, Iraq. I eagerly take this opportunity to share with you the personal story of a good friend, fellow soldier, and former teammate, 1LT Tony Messenger.
I feel that altogether, America is missing out on the personal side of the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts. Where is the memoir of the individual soldiers whom have been injured in war? It is certainly not on the front pages of the Washington Post or USA Today. I have long believed that history is best learned through biography- and headlines of “Five Troops Injured in Roadside Blast” don’t tell the story we need to hear.
“The United States of America is not at war, the U.S. Military is at war. America is at the f*cking shopping mall.”
Did the soldiers endure penetrating wounds or blast concussions? Who rushed to the aid of the injured Soldiers? What cutting edge treatment techniques were used to save their life? How were they evacuated to a higher level of care? Once home in America, were they able to rehab and return to fight alongside their comrades? These are all questions that go through my mind every time the media puts a ‘number’ on American lives and fails to tell their real story. Who really is satisfied with a name, age, rank, and home state!?!
Following is a detailed personal account of Tony’s injuries suffered and resulting evacuation after detonating an IED while on foot patrol in Iraq in late October 2007. From Tony’s personal account, he remarked of not feeling any pain following the initial blast. Within a minute Tony was on the radio to higher command reporting the blast and simply stating “no injuries to our men.” Not until several minutes later when a member of his platoon noticed his blood soaked uniform, did Tony start to learn of his own injuries.
Zach, What’s up brother! Yeah I got a little banged up. I had 12 holes in my body, 2 on my left calf, one in my tattoo, and one just above. Those two have healed. I had 5 in my right thigh. They pulled two AA batteries out of that leg. All but one of those is completely healed. I had a deep gash on my left forearm. It was to the point I could see the muscle when they packed it. That one is also healed for the most part. I had an entry wound on my left belt line with 2 exit wounds on my back. And then the last one was a gash on my left hip. It was fairly deep but is also mostly healed. The doc cleared me to run about a week ago. Man I am a pathetic excuse for a runner right now. Not that I was ever that great but damn it is pathetic now. I am on Rear Detachment and will be here for Christmas as of right now. I would love to see you and catch up. I hope to get back to my platoon in early Jan. I am part of 4th Bde 2ID (SBCT) (FYI, I love the Stryker). We are currently in Baqubah. I lost 3 guys to a suicide bomber 3 weeks after I was wounded. So that was a little difficult to swallow. I spoke at their memorial service here in Fort Lewis also very painful. I pray that you don't have to ever go through that as a leader.
I feel that altogether, America is missing out on the personal side of the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts. Where is the memoir of the individual soldiers whom have been injured in war? It is certainly not on the front pages of the Washington Post or USA Today. I have long believed that history is best learned through biography- and headlines of “Five Troops Injured in Roadside Blast” don’t tell the story we need to hear.
“The United States of America is not at war, the U.S. Military is at war. America is at the f*cking shopping mall.”
Did the soldiers endure penetrating wounds or blast concussions? Who rushed to the aid of the injured Soldiers? What cutting edge treatment techniques were used to save their life? How were they evacuated to a higher level of care? Once home in America, were they able to rehab and return to fight alongside their comrades? These are all questions that go through my mind every time the media puts a ‘number’ on American lives and fails to tell their real story. Who really is satisfied with a name, age, rank, and home state!?!
Following is a detailed personal account of Tony’s injuries suffered and resulting evacuation after detonating an IED while on foot patrol in Iraq in late October 2007. From Tony’s personal account, he remarked of not feeling any pain following the initial blast. Within a minute Tony was on the radio to higher command reporting the blast and simply stating “no injuries to our men.” Not until several minutes later when a member of his platoon noticed his blood soaked uniform, did Tony start to learn of his own injuries.
Zach, What’s up brother! Yeah I got a little banged up. I had 12 holes in my body, 2 on my left calf, one in my tattoo, and one just above. Those two have healed. I had 5 in my right thigh. They pulled two AA batteries out of that leg. All but one of those is completely healed. I had a deep gash on my left forearm. It was to the point I could see the muscle when they packed it. That one is also healed for the most part. I had an entry wound on my left belt line with 2 exit wounds on my back. And then the last one was a gash on my left hip. It was fairly deep but is also mostly healed. The doc cleared me to run about a week ago. Man I am a pathetic excuse for a runner right now. Not that I was ever that great but damn it is pathetic now. I am on Rear Detachment and will be here for Christmas as of right now. I would love to see you and catch up. I hope to get back to my platoon in early Jan. I am part of 4th Bde 2ID (SBCT) (FYI, I love the Stryker). We are currently in Baqubah. I lost 3 guys to a suicide bomber 3 weeks after I was wounded. So that was a little difficult to swallow. I spoke at their memorial service here in Fort Lewis also very painful. I pray that you don't have to ever go through that as a leader.
-Tony
*The thought of AA batteries entering the human body as shrapnel is harrowing to me. Nobody will probably ever know if the batteries were used to power the detonating device or whether they were packed into the home-made bomb. The only thing I do know is that Tony will have the coolest X-ray in the world to show his kids when they get older!!!
Zach,
So here is the exact methods they used. On my left arm they used an Israeli bandage. They put the tourniquet on my right leg immediately followed up with more Israeli bandages. None of the wounds were big enough for the Chitosen on any of my entry or exit wounds. The other ones were small and they just wrapped them mostly. I was evacuated in a Stryker medical evacuation vehicle from the point of injury to forward operating base “Freedom” where they proceeded to cut off every scrap of clothing I had remaining on me and gave me lots of drugs or pain meds as you guys would call them. I was flown (via UH-60 MEDEVAC, wooot!) to Balad to LSA Anaconda a level III about 15-20 min flight north of Warhorse after about an hour or 2. I was naked wrapped in a space blanket freezing my ass off. I think the worst part of it was seeing all of my guys faces when I was flown out and at the point of injury. I was in the Hospital at Anaconda for 3 days. I had one surgery there. I was moved via C-17 to Landstuhl, Germany- that flight was miserable. I was strapped to a stretcher for the duration. They took care of my pain but it was just miserable having to sit there for that long. I was in Germany for 2-3 days had my second surgery and was then evacuated to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. I was there for a day and then flew again via C-17 to Fort Lewis, WA. I am getting ready to go back in Jan. I will be cleared on the 27th of Dec.
-Tony
*I find it remarkable that through such a traumatic experience as getting blown up, with a dozen penetrating wounds- the hardest part for Tony was seeing ‘the faces of his men’ as he was evac’d out. This remark to me is the epitome of Selfless Service and why the United States Army is the greatest fighting force that ever existed.
*Tony will probably try to hunt me down and strangle me for posting this picture on the internet- but it goes to show what the warrior’s body can endure. I can personally attest that Tony’s strength never was running, but he could hump a rucksack farther and faster than anybody I ever knew. We always told him he should enter the Olympics as a speedwalker because he could keep a pace of 4-5mph forever. I always remember our training for Ranger Challenge when Tony was out front doing his speedwalk and I had to run to keep up! This picture was taken in November 2002 at the Veterans Memorial 5K race in Fairmont, WV. (Is the Uncle Sam in this picture not ironic?)
*The thought of AA batteries entering the human body as shrapnel is harrowing to me. Nobody will probably ever know if the batteries were used to power the detonating device or whether they were packed into the home-made bomb. The only thing I do know is that Tony will have the coolest X-ray in the world to show his kids when they get older!!!
Zach,
So here is the exact methods they used. On my left arm they used an Israeli bandage. They put the tourniquet on my right leg immediately followed up with more Israeli bandages. None of the wounds were big enough for the Chitosen on any of my entry or exit wounds. The other ones were small and they just wrapped them mostly. I was evacuated in a Stryker medical evacuation vehicle from the point of injury to forward operating base “Freedom” where they proceeded to cut off every scrap of clothing I had remaining on me and gave me lots of drugs or pain meds as you guys would call them. I was flown (via UH-60 MEDEVAC, wooot!) to Balad to LSA Anaconda a level III about 15-20 min flight north of Warhorse after about an hour or 2. I was naked wrapped in a space blanket freezing my ass off. I think the worst part of it was seeing all of my guys faces when I was flown out and at the point of injury. I was in the Hospital at Anaconda for 3 days. I had one surgery there. I was moved via C-17 to Landstuhl, Germany- that flight was miserable. I was strapped to a stretcher for the duration. They took care of my pain but it was just miserable having to sit there for that long. I was in Germany for 2-3 days had my second surgery and was then evacuated to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. I was there for a day and then flew again via C-17 to Fort Lewis, WA. I am getting ready to go back in Jan. I will be cleared on the 27th of Dec.
-Tony
*I find it remarkable that through such a traumatic experience as getting blown up, with a dozen penetrating wounds- the hardest part for Tony was seeing ‘the faces of his men’ as he was evac’d out. This remark to me is the epitome of Selfless Service and why the United States Army is the greatest fighting force that ever existed.
*Tony will probably try to hunt me down and strangle me for posting this picture on the internet- but it goes to show what the warrior’s body can endure. I can personally attest that Tony’s strength never was running, but he could hump a rucksack farther and faster than anybody I ever knew. We always told him he should enter the Olympics as a speedwalker because he could keep a pace of 4-5mph forever. I always remember our training for Ranger Challenge when Tony was out front doing his speedwalk and I had to run to keep up! This picture was taken in November 2002 at the Veterans Memorial 5K race in Fairmont, WV. (Is the Uncle Sam in this picture not ironic?)
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