War Story 3

There I was….typical sunny day in Iraq when we are called on a mission along one of the main supply routes (MSRs). We didn’t have much information except a 9-line for an urgent patient and a grid location. When we arrived, we landed alongside the road about 50 meters from a clump of trucks and personnel. Presumably the patient was in the middle of the mix so my medic jumped out to assess the situation. I noticed he didn’t bring his medical bag with him. We were in the open dessert with no enemy in sight, so I sent my crew chief to meet the medic and deliver the med bag. Our crew chief promptly returns. Only this time, he is moving at about half the pace he took when heading out and mysteriously watching his feet. It looked oddly like a game of hopscotch. What seemed like an eternity later, the crew chief arrives, plugs in, and announces that we have landed in a mine field. (Oops.) I asked him to please climb in while we waited for the liter patient. Six soldiers tiptoed through the desert out to the helicopter holding a liter and a patient. We took off without incident. Maybe next time, we would just land on the road and take our chances with the IEDs.

Written By: Katie Bigelow

Photo by Spc. Audrey Ward