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COURTESY 1ST SGT. ROBERT JENNINGS Capt. Derek Bird of Lynchburg, Va., and Spc. Joe Crugnale of Las Vegas stand by the company tree, donated by Sherrie Cummins, the mother of Spc. Jacob Baggett.

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News of more time
in Iraq hits hard

This week began with a lot of excitement, with word that our replacements had arrived in Kuwait and were preparing for the journey to Kirkuk. We have been preparing for their arrival for a few months now. But as most of you know, 2nd Brigade Combat team's time in Iraq has been extended through February.

Nov. 30, 2:30 p.m. » Reports are coming over the radio that an Iraqi National Guard vehicle has been struck by a roadside bomb. Two Iraqi soldiers receive minor injuries.

Nov. 30, 11:30 p.m. » A blast is heard from the north of the patrol base. We immediately dispatch police to investigate. Bravo Company has a patrol in the vicinity and conducts an investigation.

It seems a woman opened the front door of her house and a roadside bomb was rigged to the door. After further investigation, it was found that the woman's daughter works for the coalition as an interpreter. The woman was flown to Baghdad, where she is still in critical condition.

This is another example of the ruthless enemy we are facing. When he has little success against coalition or Iraqi security forces, he goes after the civilian soft targets.

Dec. 3, 10:05 a.m. » A convoy from our sister battalion (Wolfhounds), was struck by a roadside bomb a few miles south of our patrol base. Two soldiers were injured and one soldier was killed.

This hits close to home with the leadership in Alpha Company. Not only have we lost another soldier, but another to a roadside bomb. We'll say a prayer for his family and unit tonight.

Dec. 4, 7 a.m. » I woke up this morning with a sad feeling.

Dec. 4, 9:15 a.m. » We delivered another round of medical machines to the two hospitals in our sector. We delivered resuscitators, defibrillators and centrifuge to each of them. We will continue to try to stock these medical facilities with the much-needed life-saving equipment.

As we opened the month of December, we received the news of our extension. Some of the soldiers expected it by all the news reports. Although the initial news was kind of a punch in the gut, as time goes on, we will adjust.

I'm just glad that we found out we were staying while we were here in Iraq, unlike other units that were notified as they were arriving in Kuwait. We will be staying in our current position, where we know the lay of the land, the people and all of the bad areas of town. That has been echoed by most of my peers as a positive.

I want to send a congrats to Ari Santiago of Palolo Valley on her most recent grades. Keep up the good work, kid.

God Bless and Aloha.

COURTESY FIRST SGT. ROBERT JENNINGS The 1-21 Medical Platoon, from left, front row: Staff Sgt. Michael Farmer, Sgt. Alan Light, 1st Lt. Frank Grover, Staff Sgt. Marco Mendoza, Sgt. Cliff Duffey, Spc. David Katz. Back row: Spc. Jason Williams, Staff Sgt. Craig Andrews, Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Johnson, Pfc. Jason Smith.

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Medical platoon describes
surprises, difficulties of job

They also have an advanced trauma life-support team on call 24 hours a day, staffed with a cardiologist.

I interviewed four of the soldiers: Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Johnson from Queens, N.Y., Staff Sgt. Michael Farmer from Lebanon, Tenn., Staff Sgt. Cliff Duffey from Chattanooga, Tenn., and Pfc. Jason Smith from Indianapolis.

I asked them what they thought when they were notified of our deployment. Farmer said that he thought he was going to see a country that was bombed out. "I only knew what I saw on the news. There is a lot of damage up here, I just didn't expect to see too many buildings still standing."

Smith said: "I was told by my drill sergeant at Fort Sam Houston. Being so new to the Army, I had no idea what to expect."

I asked them what they thought about Iraq and where it's headed. Johnson said, "I thought we were going to be a lot busier because of the size of the city and the amount of enemy we've faced. I'm not complaining that we haven't."

He added: "When we got here, it seemed there was a reluctance in the medical care in the city. We've been working with them on new techniques and equipment. I think they are coming around."

When I asked Duffey the same question, he agreed. "Training with the Iraqi national guard medics has been a challenge," he said. "They had little to no medical training until we came along. You can really see the enthusiasm and improvements."

I asked them to give me an Iraq memory. Smith said, "Seeing the donkeys and cows just walking in the street."

Johnson said: "These guys smoke cigarettes everywhere. We were assessing the Pediatric Hospital and this guy is pushing a cart with this oxygen bottle, down the hallway, smoking a cigarette, next to a No Smoking sign. I tried to get my camera out, but he was moving too fast."

I asked Farmer what was the hardest part of his job. He said: "We don't get to do our job unless someone gets hurt. We want to be unemployed." He went on to say: "When a soldier is lost, most people in America hear that another soldier died. We go through the ramp ceremony, roll call, and all the emotions of his comrades. It's a tough reality."

The four soldiers closed their interview by saying hi to family members.

Johnson says hi to his mom Ora, dad Robert in Milton, Pa., his daughter Nicole in Brownsville, Tenn., wife Yasmin and daughters C'esa and Alea in Mililani.

Duffey says hi to his father Cliff in Rossville, Ga., mother Pat and three sisters in Tennessee. He sends a special "I love you" to his wife Summer back in Hawaii.

Smith says hi to mom Charlene and sisters Lisa and Sara in Indianapolis. "Hi to all the Bobbys."

Farmer says hi to mom Harriett, brothers Joe and Robert, sister Brandi and all his friends in Tennessee. "Don't worry, Princess, Daddy will be home soon."