Stripes letter: Who will save us when we can no longer save ourselves?

[lebkuchen]

Who will save us?

The 57th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) has been a mainstay of the Army since the conflict in Vietnam as an angel of mercy for soldiers on the ground. We’ve demonstrated over and over that we’ll go “unarmed, unaware, unafraid” into harm’s way to save those who can no longer save themselves. We follow the words of Maj. Charles Kelley: “Not until I have your wounded,” his last words before he was mortally wounded landing in a hot landing zone.

The 57th Medical Company (AA) is currently going above and beyond by serving beyond the 365-day tour in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The first 365 days resulted in no permanent injuries or deaths to any member of the company and no loss of equipment while still transporting more than 1,000 soldiers, U.S. civilians, Iraqi civilians and even Iraqi insurgents. In accordance with the Geneva Convention, we’ve carried the U.S. soldier mangled by a rocket-propelled grenade and in the next helicopter carried a smiling Iraqi who fired that very RPG because he had a minor bullet wound that resulted in his capture.

We fulfill mission requirements with people who have not been home on rest and recuperation leave because only 40 percent of the company was allowed to go home during our last year. These soldiers are enduring strife at home because of the continued deployment and have little idea of when they’ll finally go home themselves. They survive with what they would have carried on the plane ride home – two check bags and a carry-on, because everything else has already been shipped. They have not received mail in two months because of redeployment and still have no mailing address because they lack certainty in where they will be next week. In spite of it all, we will be there.

Now we’re being asked to provide people to help other units. We are soldiers and will continue to do our duty if required. The nonflying soldiers of the unit remaining in limbo will probably enjoy something to keep them busy and keep their minds off of their own troubles. We want to help, so what can we do for our fellow soldiers?

It seems that we are to be utilized to process soldiers who are going home on rest and recuperation leave. We will facilitate the joyous relief of those soldiers away from their families and in harm’s way. Again, this is a noble effort for the men and women of the 57th Med. But these very soldiers who will put the smiles on those faces will probably not have seen their own families in more than a year and will not even be receiving pictures of those family members in the mail. But we will not falter in our service.

I cry as I write this for the families that endure, for those that will not, for those families that have lost loved ones already in spite of our best efforts, and for my own brothers and sisters in the 57th of whom I am so proud. We will not give up. But who will save us when we can no longer save ourselves?

Stuart Byrd
Chief Warrant Officer 2
Camp Udairi, Kuwait

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=21995

[ewagner]

1. That unit

has such a proud tradition.

I wish them well and pray for their safe return

[Jivenwail]

2. Very moving

Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and to their families.

[peacetalksforall]

3. You are also brave for writing sincere fact and sharing it here.

I'm thankful.