Lieutenant Commander Dr. Amy Rindfleisch Lieutenant Commander Dr. Amy Rindfleisch Gavril '89 was working as a pediatrician at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center in Virginia when the call came to join the Bravo Surgical Company, a mobile surgical unit. She spent the war working close to the frontlines, providing care for both American troops and injured Iraqis. At the conclusion of fighting, the Bravo Surgical Company was moved to Kuwait; Rindfleisch Gavril returned to the United States in early June. How exactly do you practice emergency care under war conditions in the middle of the desert?
The surgical company is made up of a triage platoon, which works much like an ER; a surgical platoon made up of OR staff (we had three operating rooms, each of which could take two patients at a time); a holding platoon, which was the ward and ICU staff; and various ancillary services and Marine security. Our ward capability was 80 beds, including an ICU. A company this big is very difficult to keep mobile, but we managed to break down camp and be ready to roll in six hours, which always amazed me. As a ward and ICU physician, I took care of Marines and Army soldiers while in the field, close to the frontlines. We would stabilize our patients and then arrange air or ground evacuation to a "Level 3" medical facility in the rear. Our company was considered a Level 2 stabilization center. Level 1 were the outstanding Navy corpsmen, many of them trained EMTs, who were out there on the frontlines with the grunts. What kinds of injuries were you seeing?
It was at the end of the war, when the fighting was slowing down, that many of my Marines started showing up with more chronic problems or old injuries. One example is a Marine lieutenant I admitted for a broken big toe. He broke it weeks before and hobbled all over Iraq with it, but didn't want to seek medical care because he was afraid he would be taken away from his unit and his men. I have a dozen stories like this guy. It's a good example of Marine loyalty that I got to observe. Marines are crazy-lovable. I really enjoyed taking care of them. You were also treating injured Iraqis.
We also took care of Iraqi soldiers, which offered many new medical challenges. Common everyday items that one usually doesn't think twice about-pens, stethoscopes-had to be considered potential weapons and kept away from these patients as much as possible. Because the Iraqi soldiers were now EPWs [enemy prisoners of war], they were guarded in our ward by Marines with M-16 rifles. When examining a patient, I also had to take into account if I was in the M-16's line of fire. Intelligence officers would come to the ward to talk to our EPW patients and bring interpreters who were very helpful in letting me know my patients' histories and medical concerns. Finally, both our U.S. soldiers and the Iraqi soldiers had just come from a very aggressive, violent environment-the battlefield-so extra measures had to be taken to diffuse any hostility in order to keep the ward a safe environment. What surprised or moved you most?
An aspect of the war that surprised me most was the depth of friendships that are born out here. My "battle buddies" have become an extension of my family. I had heard that this camaraderie occurs, but never really understood the extent of it until I experienced it. It's almost as if the synapses in my brain have formed new special pathways for my new friends. If a buddy needs something, you don't think-you just act, whatever is needed. It's almost like instinct.
War and Reunions The war in Iraq was very much on the agenda during Reunion season at Exeter. Here, a few insights and sound bites: Rear Admiral Winsor Whiton '63, former deputy director of the National Security Agency for plans and programs, on the USA Patriot Act: "What the USA Patriot Act allows the government to do, among other things, is share information [more easily] between intelligence and law enforcement. The very people who are against this act are the same ones who were criticizing the FBI and the CIA for not sharing information before 9/11. Others either don't understand it or knowingly misstate its provisions. But knowing what I know about the open presence of Al Qaeda, I am comfortable with it." Greg Craig '63, former director of policy planning at the State Department, on current American foreign policy: "I see at least two problems with our policies towards Iraq. The first has to do with shifts in the reasons we gave for our decision to go to war and the rhetoric we used to explain that decision. Everyone could understand enforcing arms inspections and eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. But then the president's rhetoric changed to liberating the people of Iraq from a tyrant, and that became the reason we went to war. Next we moved to the rhetoric of democracy. I have a feeling there's going to be a conflict between this call for democracy in Iraq and our own national interest. We've been driven into a corner by our own rhetoric. "The second problem is the unnecessary damage done to our relationships with our oldest friends and allies. I'm disappointed there wasn't more time and effort taken to deal directly with the concerns of our allies in the European community who were, in fact, reflecting the views of their populations. Terrorism can only be defeated with the cooperation of the world community. We need that for our own national security." Dan Cook '53, investment banker and GOP activist, on President George W. Bush: "We're talking about a personal friend here. He's a very bright guy. He's not a rocket scientist, but he's very, very tough, and very decisive. He is capable of making and sticking to decisions." Mike Absher '53, former intelligence officer, on the role of espionage: "9/11 has changed everyone's lives, especially those of the young students here, in the way that our lives were changed by the cold war. And yet 9/11 was not unique. We've been at war with extremists [for a long time], and we've been remiss in not admitting this. It's going to be a long war. We're going to win it, but it will take time and better espionage. We must be prepared to support a strong intelligence community-and not just for one year." Earl Silbert '53, former Watergate prosecutor, on the tension between national security and civil liberties: "The war against terrorism is a brand-new kind of war, one that presents new challenges and problems. We want to be as effective in our response as we can be. But how many of our rights and liberties are we willing to surrender in the process? "As someone in the legal world, I'm worried about some of the procedures we're adopting, including holding prisoners incommunicado at Guantanamo Bay; allowing the government to listen in on attorney-client conversations; and giving the government the power to break into our homes secretly and not let us know it has done so. When I look at these deprivations of rights in combination, I really become concerned. Are we fighting this war in such a way that we are sacrificing fundamental American values? "For most of us in this room, these provisions have had not one whit of impact. But even if they have not affected us directly, it is important for us to pay attention to what is happening and to speak up about it." |
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