White Rose Adventures

CSI: Miami – Promoting the Good in Iraq

Many of us have seen the MSM misrepresent or not even report the good things that our military is doing in Iraq. We see TV shows and movies on the big and small screen that stand on either side of the issue. Some are very elaborate and in your face while others are more subtle. The latter was the case in last nights episode of CSI: Miami.

I don’t always watch the show, sometimes I watch “Castle“, so I didn’t know that Cain’s son had enlisted in the Army and been sent to Iraq. At the end of the episode they showed Cain signing into a video conference on his computer. The picture we see on the computer screen is Cain’s son, in battle fatigues and in Iraq. There are the usual parent/child pleasantries and concerns passed from one to another. They could have ended the scene with that, but they didn’t. They go on to have Cain’s son talk about rebuilding the schools and how happy the kids are to have them.

It was a short statement, but for me, very emotional. (I actually had a tear well up in my eyes.) The eloquence  and simplicity in which it was done was a thundering message to those that have been there and done that. Even if the rest of the world misses the message, and I don’t think they can, at least those standing the line know that someone knows of the good they are doing and is making an effort to show it.

Study: Fast morphine treatment may prevent PTSD

By LINDA A. JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer

Quickly giving morphine to wounded troops cuts in half the chance they will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a provocative study that suggests a new strategy for preventing the psychological fallout of war.

Researchers at the U.S. Naval Health Research Center led the study of about 700 troops injured in Iraq from 2004 through 2006.

“It was surprising how strong the effect of the morphine was,” said study leader Troy Lisa Holbrook, an epidemiologist at the naval center. The findings were published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Whether the Pentagon will adopt the practice on the battlefield remains to be seen. Dr. Jack Smith, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for clinical and program policy, said in an e-mail that the “very interesting findings” are “likely to stimulate further research.”

About 53,000 troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated for PTSD, a disorder in which someone who has endured a traumatic event keeps re-experiencing it and the fear it caused. Patients often have trouble with work, relationships, substance abuse and physical ailments.

Researchers have been testing ways to treat it, and the new study looked at whether fast and strong pain relief can help prevent it.

It was unclear whether it was the fast pain treatment or something specific to morphine that made the difference.

But researchers theorize that simply easing pain might reduce the severity of the psychological trauma, or that prompt relief might alter the way the brain remembers the attack or injury – in essence, causing the mind to file away the episode as less traumatic.

Troops in the study initially were treated at military medical facilities in Iraq, mainly for wounds caused by roadside bombs, bullets, grenades or mortar fire. A few dozen had burns or were hurt in crashes or falls. The decision on whether to give morphine was up to the individual doctor, based on the patient’s condition.

Of the 696 troops in the study, 493 – about 70 percent – were given morphine, most within an hour of injury. Two years later, 147 of them had developed PTSD. Of the 203 not given morphine early on, 96 developed PTSD.

That worked out to a 53 percent lower risk of developing PTSD for those treated early with morphine. No other factor, such as the nature or severity of injuries, had much effect on the chances of developing PTSD, Holbrook said.

“These are provocative and thought-provoking findings that should lead scientists to investigate the underlying mechanisms” in future studies, said JoAnn Difede, a PTSD researcher at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Difede and Barbara Rothbaum, who heads the Trauma and Anxiety Recovery Program at Emory University School of Medicine, said that until more research backs up the findings, the study probably won’t lead to many more patients in civilian emergency rooms getting morphine.

“At this point, I don’t see it having a huge impact” for civilians, Rothbaum said.

A second study in the journal found that Army wives were more likely to develop depression or sleep problems the longer, or the more times, their spouses were sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.

That study, by researchers at the University of North Carolina and elsewhere, examined medical records for outpatient care of about 250,000 wives of active-duty soldiers from 2003 through 2006.

Compared with wives whose husbands stayed home, those whose husbands were deployed for up to 11 months were 18 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression and at least 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with sleep disorders, anxiety and acute stress.

For wives whose husbands were deployed for more than 11 months, problems were even more common: They were at least 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression or anxiety, and about 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with acute stress or sleep problems.

The researchers didn’t have data showing whether husbands were deployed or at home when the wives were being treated for mental health problems.

That meant the scientists couldn’t conclude whether those problems were caused by worries about the spouse’s safety and the difficulties of being a single parent, or by stress caused by the returning spouse’s psychological problems or other behavior changes.

“I suspect that if you look at the Reserve and National Guard wives, the toll might be even worse,” because they have less social support than families living in a military community, Rothbaum said.

She said the effects of deployment on children also need to be studied so the military can figure out how to provide more help to families.

—

On the Net: http://www.nejm.org

IAP Hiring for Kuwait

I worked for 3 different companies when I was driving in Kuwait and Iraq. I enjoied working for all three. But I have to say that out of the 3, the one that treated me the best was IAP. With PWC (Agility) being tossed out on their tails due to their overcharging and misconduct on contracts in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, IAP is looking for 35 drivers to run the mail mission in Kuwait and lower Iraq. I have been wanting to go back overseas to drive ever since I cam home in 2006 to do the book promotion. Due to the shattering of both of my wrists last year, that is a desire that will not be fulfilled. So since I get asked the question, “Who is hiring over there?” all the time, I am passing this information along. They are going to be looking for this to happen real quick. Even though they are looking for drivers that have already “been there and done that”, it would not hurt to those that have not to go ahead and apply. You never know what could happen.

Here is the listing and job description on the IAP web site.

Truck Driver, Heavy Lift

Requisition ID: 9820

Full / Part Time: Full-time

Employment Type: Regular

# of Openings: 35

Purpose: Provide Heavy Lift transportation for U.S. Mail as well as Logistical support for Middle East AOR (Kuwait / Iraq)

Description: Semi-Trailer TRUCK DRIVERs are required for providing U.S. military mail delivery services in Kuwait and Southern Iraq. Driver may load and unload truck, make minor mechanical repairs, and keep truck in good working order. Drivers may travel distances that will not allow them to return to the departure point in the same workday. Must be able to drive standard shift or semi-automatic shift vehicles. Must be physically capable of working 14 hour days in extreme heat conditions. Drivers are required to enter a probable hostile environment on a regular basis and must be fully aware and prepared to undertake these mission tasks upon employment hire.

Duties Will Include:

1. Punctual delivery of U.S. military mail to their respective locations

2. Collection of military mail from airhead

3. Completion of all official U.S. military mail documentation

4. Completion of IAPWS company documentation

5. Vehicle distribution Centre duties

6. Vehicle recovery and replacement duties

7. Conforming to military and IAPWS HSE policies

8. Undertaking vehicle mission readiness pre-vehicle checks and trailer checks

9. Conveyance of vehicles and trailers for service or repair

10. Undertake all operational duties in relation to the U.S. military mail mission

Knowledge: Considerable knowledge of the job. Complete acquaintance with and understanding of the general and detailed aspects of the job, and their practical applications to problems and situations ordinarily encountered.

Minimum Education and Experience: High School Diploma; 10 years minimum driving experience.

Requirements:

Minimum:

1. Must be U.S. Citizen

2. Must have valid U.S. Passport (with at least one year remaining before expiration)

3. Must have current and valid Class A Commercial Drivers License

4. Must provide proof of current DOT compliant Physical Examination (within last 6 months).

Desired:

1. Previous overseas Heavy lift trucking experience

2. Active security clearance

3. Vehicle maintenance experience

Book Catalog

WOW! The last 36 hours have been something!  First let me start with the book. As most know, and have seen the entry, Free Press Publishing sends out a catalog to the book stores so they can order the books they and to put in their store for the next season. Well, night before last, I received 3 copies of the catalog from my editors office. This is sooooo cool! I know I have been working on this book for several months now. Terry and I have been emailing each other almost daily as well write each chapter. Liz and I have emailed about the cover design and what pictures to include. We all have been working very hard on the book. But I have to say, it all didn’t seem real to me. I mean, we all do things in our lives that we think would make a good book or movie topic, but nothing ever happens to it. Then to have several someone’s actually tell you that you should write a book about something you did, that you see as just part of your life and who you are….. WELL, that is totally cool. As each step of this book has been taken, I have become more and more aware of the fact that this is really happening….. it isn’t a dream! But the other day……..well, that really brought it all home for me. When I got those catalogs and opened to the paged marked, and saw the catalog entry with my name on it……….. I was speechless! Now most of ya know, my being speechless is not something that happens very often, but I was, for a few seconds. When the guys in the office saw that I had quite talking in mid-sentence, of course they all wanted to know what it was that I had gotten. I smiled and turned the book around and showed them the page. As much as they have heard about the book and have known that I was doing it, I think they felt as I did about it. Holding this in my hands, made it real for not only me, but for them as well. Some of these guys are new friends and some I have known since I worked for KBR. You would have thought that it was happening to them. I got hugs, hand shakes and a lot of teasing! I was told I have to make sure they ALL get autographed copies! I think I am going to get writers cramp very quick when this thing finally does come out! Anyway, after I made it home, I took the catalog out and really looked at it. There is my name, in print, with a picture of what the cover is going to look like. “WOW! This is so cool! This is really happening!” was my thought. It still blows my mind!

Free Press Catalog Entry for “Cindy in Iraq”

Free Press, June 2006

Cindy in Iraq: A Civilian’s Year in the War Zone

It’s one of the least covered stories in the Iraqi war. Now, the writer of the popular “Cindy in Iraq” blog narrates her harrowing experiences during a year driving trucks as a civilian contractor for Halliburton.

Cindy Morgan was on the front lines of Iraq––not enlisted in the military, but in a job just as dangerous: as a convoy commander leading groups of fifteen to thirty trucks through perilous territory. Having promised her three sons that she would always tell them the truth about what she was experiencing, she started her blog “Cindy in Iraq” as a way to stay in touch with family and friends back home. “Cindy in Iraq” soon became a valuable resource for families of contractors, and those thinking about becoming contractors, as well as a telling story of the disturbing realities facing brave civilian workers.

Here, we see Cindy’s story in full detail—how, after thirteen years’ experience as a truck driver in the U.S., as well as orientation by Halliburton, she still was shocked by what she faced. Unarmed, with virtually no training, one of the only female truck drivers, she became a moving target for insurgents, constantly at risk of being ambushed, shot at, kidnapped, or executed.

Cindy’s journey in Iraq also became a voyage of self-discovery. Having left an abusive husband, she went to Iraq because she was “tired of surviving her life and not living it.” She went to Iraq to find out “who I am and what I am made of here….Honor, integrity, pride and humanity can all be discovered.” As Cindy relays her experiences, both she and the reader are transformed.

Cynthia I. Morgan drove a big rig across the U.S. for thirteen years before venturing into Iraq in 2003, where she was a civilian convoy commander in charge of up to thirty trucks delivering supplies to American bases throughout the war-torn country. After seven months back in the U.S., she returned to Iraq. She lives, usually, in Tennessee.

September 2006
Free Press
Biography and Autobiography
6 x 9, 256 pages
8 pages of black-and-white photographs
Carton quantity: 20
EAN: 978074328640452500
0-7432-8640-5
$25.00 hardcover
$34.50 in Canada

End of contract – Going home & saying goodbye

Well, yesterday was the last day of work. What use to be my room, my home, is packed in footlockers and mailed home, or is in a 4x3x3 metal box sitting in the living room waiting to be picked up for shipping back home. Four stark white walls that used to be decorated with tapestries, pictures, and a couple of hand painted wall fans, are now bare. The mirror that I had special made when I got here, because the only one in the flat was in the bathroom and that held the pictures of my boys, is laying in the forayer, wrapped in a blanket and waiting for me to finish building the box around it, in hopes that it will make it home without breaking. I have only my computer, the desk it sits on and a packed suit case sitting open, in the floor, left in this room that has been home to me for the last four months.

I stand at the window that looks out over the Persian Gulf and watch the sun rise as it has for every day that I have been here. It is a beautiful, colourful scene. I am on the 17th floor and have a great view of the Gulf. So much has changed inside this room, but it still looks the same outside. Will I miss it? Yes! Am I glad to get out of here? Yes! I, like many others have mixed feelings about the next few days. Home phone numbers and email addresses are being exchanged with the promises that we will keep in touch and we will let the other know if we find another contract job here or somewhere else. Many guys are calling the wife back home almost every day in preparation of their homecoming. Some are making their plans and finding flats because they have new jobs, or are going to stay a while and look for one. And still yet others, like me, have made plans to go on a vacation before going home and are making the final arrangements for that.

The contract has ended. The job is over. But I, like many other here, will never forget what I’ve seen and done, where I’ve been and who I’ve met. Unlike KBR, that has mostly American workers, IAP has had a multi-national force here. The United States, Great Britain, Australia, Wales, New Zealand, and South Africa are just some of the countries that we all come from. Despite the differences between us, we came together, did a job and did it well. I have loved meeting all these people and have become friends with several. To learn a little about other countries and their people, has been great. But the down side to that is some of these people I will never see again. Some that I would like to say, I can call friend, I won’t have the chance or hope, that I could just bump into them somewhere after I get home. Oh, I am sure, that if I stay doing contract work in foreign countries, I will run into one here and there, but ya never know about things like that. So for now, I have a few phone numbers, a few email addresses, and the hope and promise that we will stay in contact with each other, to hold on to. It has been a great four months! I will miss my new friends!

Book Contract Signed!!

I just thought I would let everyone know that I got the papers yesterday through FedEx for the book deal. I signed them and will be sending them back through FedEx today. There will be a press release coming out as soon as they are received back in the states and everyone has their copies. I will send ya’ll a copy of the press release when it comes out. Terry Golway is my co-writer and we are hard at work on it. I have done lots of writing over the last two weeks. Sometimes it is very hard to do. The first chapter is going to be about why I came to Iraq and my thoughts on the flight over. The next chapter or two will be a history of my life from childhood till the day I stepped on the plane and flew to Houston. That is what we are working on now. At times, that can be very emotionally draining. As with all of us, not all of our past holds the best of memories. For the first time I had to sit and write out what happened the day my now, ex-husband nearly killed me 2 1/2 years ago. Whereas, that has been most difficult, it has also been a bit healing. I have cried and I have laughed in all that I have written so far. I will keep ya’ll posted on the books progress.

Job Ending

We have just received word that our jobs will be ending on the 25th of August. Missions, for us, into Iraq will stop on or about the 15th. They are asking everyone to please stay till the 25th. I for one, plan of doing just that. A couple of my South African friends have invited some of us HET drivers to come for a visit. So a couple of us are looking at going to South Africa for a couple of weeks then going our separate ways. I am not sure if this is going to happen or not, but we are looking at it. The thought is why not go while we have a personal tour guide that can show us the real country instead of all the tourist traps. Hell, if I don’t do it now, when will I? We all know how friendships sometimes fade. So I am looking at taking this chance to see a beautiful country the way it should be seen, from the local point of view. But for now, I am going to be here another month and then take a small vacation and then come to the states. I am looking for something else within the company and with other companies. Right now, I am kind of playing it by ear. I will keep everyone updated on what I am doing as it happens.

Local soldier opts to return to Iraq — This is my son!!!

Local soldier opts to return to Iraq

By BETTY ADAMS

World Staff Writer

Specialist Kenneth W. Elliott, a member of the 39th Infantry Brigade Echo Troop 151st Cavalry, recently volunteered to stay in Iraq when the 39th came home.

He is attached to Echo Troop 101st Cavalry from Geneva, New York, which is attached to the 256th from Louisiana.

He is the son of Kenneth Elliott of Helena and Cynthia Morgan of DeWitt. Elliott’s mother works as a truck driver for IAP hauling supplies in both Iraq and Kuwait. His father is music director for the Barton-Lexa School District.

While in West Helena, Elliott is visiting close friends, Scott and Lori Williams.

Elliot will be leaving Saturday and will return to Iraq, where he will serve there until September.

Elliott said one of the most awesome sights during his tour of duty was when the elections were held in Iraq.

http://www.helena-arkansas.com/articles/2005/07/08/news/news1.txt

Contract on Hold

I have news! The Heavy Lift 6 contract has been put on hold. A company is protesting the awarding of it and that means I get to keep working over here for now. The US Government has up to 120 days to investigate and decide what to do about the new contract. In the mean time, we get to keep working on the Heavy Lift 5 contract. The outcome of all this could be several things. The contract could be re-bid, re-distributed, or left as it is. None of us know what is going to happen or how long we will be here. It is a day by day thing right now. Course, that is no different than what we have been going through for the last month. In the contractor world, things can change over night. You never know what is going to happen. As of now, I am staying and working. I am putting in for my R&R in August. Some of that time home will have to be spent with my co-writer and I am going riding for some of it. As soon as I know what I am doing and when, I will let ya’ll know. The tensions are going to run high as we all here ride the government roller coaster of civilian contracts. Keep your fingers crossed that we get to keep the Western drivers part of our contract. Hope everyone is doing well.