OPNS DESERT SHIELD STORM DIARY 807TH MASH

File: 970815_sep96_decls54_0008.txt
Page: 0008
Total Pages: 44

Subject = OPNS DESERT SHIELD STORM DIARY 807TH MASH

Parent Organization = ARCENT

Unit = VII CORPS

Folder Title = SUBORDINATE COMMAND HISTORICAL REPORTS-2D COSCOM-332D MED-341ST MED-912TH MED

Document Number = 3

Box ID = BX000308

We also are trained in such diverse subjects as desert
survival, customs and religions of the middle east and Persian
Gulf area, field hygiene (another subject which came to be
extremely important), packing of equipment, and, finally, the
emotional and psychological implications of separation from
friends and family. We are already becoming too familiar with
this subject. Finally, we become acquainted with the nuances of
the M-16 rifle, all the while hoping our talents will be used more
for healing than for its use. These weapons are issued to about
half of the hospital personnel for self-defense of the
unit. Physical and dental examinations culminate with everyone's
"favorite": immunizations. Each member of the unit receives from 5
to 9 injections of exotic vaccines, ranging from plague to cholera
to plain old tetanus. Sore arms and, shall we say, sore "other
places" were the order of the day for a brief period thereafter.
3;@AJUXe-Y /1761 I - g t> ,tlz,
13 January 1991

At 0900 we arrive at the Ft. Campbell airfield. Some thirty
minutes earlier, we finished our tearful good-byes to family and
friends. American Airlines sent a DC-10 to take us to another
part of the world, and all of us are wondering about the same
unspoken concern: are we ready? At 1000, the wheels leave the
runway, and our adventures begin, our emotions as high flying and
turbulent as the air which races around us.