The Stanley Cup

So I got to Touch the Stanley Cup in Kandahar. Its too bad that i have to come all the way here to do that LOL. It was a pretty fun day. I met some of the Old Timers that came down for a Canadian Weekend. There is good old Bob Probert, Yvon Lambert, Ron Tugnutt, Tiger Williams, and a few others. They played against the Candians this morning and they are going to have a few more games. Its good that they get down here for stuff like this. They all took a tour of the Hospital and they are were all pretty awed by it all. Tiger Williams signed my bush Cap, i tried to stop him becuase i have to wear it everyday but he did anyway. The RSM told me that i can still wear it..... so i am walking around Afghanistan with an Autographed hat. Its pretty funny. One of the guys is trading me a jersey, Sorry its a toronto one for my "COOL" name tag. I ran into him at Tim Hortons this morning and he wants my name tag. HA HA anyway here is a good picture for the books Oh yeah that me with the General LOL What a day

My Tan,

Here are some pictures of my Tan. I think that I will lose it fast because it is way to hot out to sit out anymore. I try to sit out and after 3 minutes you are full of sweat and you all know me......I can't sit still on a good day let alone in this heat. When there is heat ...............there are TONS of bugs. I have never seen so many freakin Grasshoppers. You sit at tim hortons and you are surrounded by Afghan bugs. At night you look at the light and it is COVERED with bugs.

On another note things are still truckin along this week, We lost 2 more one being a 6 year old boy. He looked only four. It was sad, we did the surgery and he died a couple of hours later. I think that i am totally ready for a vacation. How funny is it that i am calling going home a VACATION. You know its bad when someone asks you what you are doing and you say that you are going to go home meaning the shacks. I really can't wait to come HOME HOME. too bad I have to come back here.

Enough of that i am off to get my ammo for the Night shoot tonight. I will write again soon oh yeah the last picture is me impressed with being there LOL LOL

Being the Surgeon

Well here i am doing the surgery. Well ok it's not really surgery but i was putting in the wires. The procedure was putting arch bars on the guys upper and lower teeth so we can wrie his jaw shut. Somewhat like braces. You have to hold the arch bars in place with wires. Its kind of like flossing. You put one end of the wire in one side, between the teeth and out the other side. You then pull tight and twist the wire, cut it and then manuover it so it doesn't cut his mouth. The Surgeon let me put them in. And the British Dentist was MY ASSISTANT. Its was totally cool. Every thrird wire the Doc would come over and check on me other than that he was just sitting there chatting with the nurses. I was really glad that he gave me the opportunity to so something neat. Anyway i am on my way to work so i will chat later

How many more need to die?

It has been a very shitty time for all of us in Afghanistan. Easter Sunday was the deaths of 6 soldier, Monday was a day that we had numberous casulaties come in and then Tuesday night we heard of 2 more Canadians dead. Since Sunday the OR has been non stop with the 2 teams rotating constantly. Covering each other off for rest. Finally i have a bit of time to myself. This morning we had another ramp Ceremony. I have made it to 2 of the 3. I am sad that I couldn't make it to the Ceremony of the 6 fallen soldiers but I was busy in the OR and couldn't make it out. Again this morning at the crack of dawn hundreds of Canadians lined up to salute the other 2 fallen soldiers shown in the pictures. Not only did we lose some Canadians but yesterday we lost a little 8 year old boy to head injuries. At first it really didn't bother me becuase we have seen so many deaths recently that it starts to become normal.............BUT............then i saw the little boy al wrapped up with his Father kneeling beside him crying and praying. That cut deep and it was hard to fight back the tears. It makes you think of my own family. How lucky I really am. I have a strong heathly family that i love with all my heart. I struggle when i see the nnocent affected by all of this killing but i guess i have to take it in.... I am really starting to realize that this is a war zone.

Tomorrow i will write about "MY SURGERY" thats right mine. The oral surgeon let me but in some arcb bars. he sat in a chair while i did all the work. MORE TO FOLLOW!!!

I miss all of you

Silence Broken - 6 Dead

Who was I to think that the silence would last. The day started off pretty bad with one death of another nation first thing in the morning. We carried on with our day and did a few things and iI was just getting ready to wrap up when i was on the computer and there was a comms lockdown. Something was in the air. Then the anouncement.....................6 dead..........CDN. There isn't much that I can tell you that you are not already reading in the paper, but it was devestating. We did see one guy and he is doing good today. I sat down with him and was shooting the shit. He is in good spirits which is awesome. Come to find out, I know him. I will tell you all more later, its too early to discuss it but it is such a small world!!!!
anyway its hard to deal with and it was really hard to see 2 different Nation flags going at half mass at the same time. I guess its their way of saying Happy Easter eh!!!

The Eerie Silence

Well things are different now.................it has been too quiet. I mean that in a good way, but its freaky. Since I have been here we have had casualties EVERYDAY. We haven't had a patient walk in the hospital in a week. Well thats a lie, we had 2 I think but they were not emergencies by any stretch. It is the weirdest feeling becuase everyday you think to yoourself........is today the day. I am finding hard to sleep sometimes because there is that anticipation of. When is the beeper going to go off. I love having the time to sit in the sun and catch some down time, but the other sid e of that is it makes for long days. I think about my family. I think that instead of sitting around waiting for laundry and soaking up the rays I would love to be home with my boys. Slapshooting some balls with Mason. I have 3 months down and I can now say that i will be home next month for a visit. Can't wait to see all of you.

Canadians love their hockey rink

Well Pete this one is for you. Sorry that I haven't gotten any pictures with them playing on it but I always forget my camera in the evening when they are playing. Here is what the guys do for fun in the evenings. Put on stinky used gloves (by the way I don't miss the smell of the hockey gear), grab their sticks and start playing their games. In the last picture is the sitting area right above the rink and next to timmy's. It good because at night now we sit out in shorts and t-shirts and watch the games. We are going to get a game with the hospital going real soon. Its just so hard with everyones schedules. With people going on the leave periods, the hospital staff are getting quite scarce. Anyway right behind the rink is a volleyball net and beside that is a big open field where people will either play soccer or cricket. Because the weather is getting really warm there are tons of people out and about in the evenings. So there you go Pete there is your hockey rink.
ROTO 2 fellas COOL IN THE HOUSE and well I tried the Crystal Lite thing and that didn't fly, they love the whole Coolio thing, like I said there is a sign above CSR saying COOLIO'S CORNER. and by the way the new guy for CSR is AWESOME, he cracks me up and he is WAY BETTER the Birgit. I don't have any worries about him and well......HE DANCES WITH ME TO SALT N PEPA. That is all i need right

Anyway guys I am going to go now and have some chicken tenders becuase that seems to be the safe choice or the only choice these days for supper.