august 31, 2005 serving the u.s. and coalition forces in kuwait...

DESERTDESERT VOICEVOICEServing the U.S. and Coalition Forces in KuwaitAugust 31, 2005

6th rotationsays, ‘Sayonara’Pg. 4

Back page Eyeing the prizeA Soldier lines up a shot during a poolgame at the Camp Arifjan Zone 1Community Center. Photo by Spc.Janine Coogler.

CFLCC Commanding GeneralLt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb

CFLCC CommandSergeant MajorCommand Sgt. Maj. Franklin G.Ashe

CFLCC Publ ic Affa irs Off icerCol. Michael Phillips

CFLCC Publ ic Affa irsOff icer , ForwardLt. Col. Debbie Haston-Hilger

Commander 1 1th PADCapt. Chevelle Thomas

NCOIC 1 1th PADStaff Sgt. Kerensa Hardy

Desert Vo ice Ed itorSgt. Jonathan M. Stack

Desert Vo ice AssistantEditorSpc. Robert Adams

Desert Vo ice Staff WritersSpc. Janine CooglerSpc. Debralee P. CrankshawSpc. Michael R. Noggle

1 1th PAD BroadcastersSpc. Christina BeermanPfc. Jheridiah Anderson

2 Desert Voice August 31, 2005

Volume 27, Issue 06The Desert Voice is an authorized publication for membersof the Department of Defense. Contents of the Desert Voiceare not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, theU.S. Government or Department of the Army. The editorialcontent of this publication is the responsibility of theCoalition Forces Land Component Command Public AffairsOffice. This newspaper is published by Al-Qabandi United, aprivate firm, which is not affiliated with CFLCC. All copy willbe edited. The Desert Voice is produced weekly by thePublic Affairs Office.

PPaaggee 33 Team effort saves life

Page 9 No pets on deployments

Pages 6&7 R&R milestone

Page 8 Seabees work inland

Pages 4 Japanese meet ambassador

Page 11 Community Events

Kuwait medical units fly out a severelyinjured servicemember from Iraq toCamp Arifjan’s hospital and their effortssave his life.

Two U.S. Navy Seabees provide interme-diate and operational maintenance onenvironmental control units and more atU.S. Military Hospital, Camp Arifjan.

While on a deployment servicememberscan’t adopt, care for or feed any animals.This is to ensure the safety of troops.

The rest and recuperation programsends the 250,000th servicememberhome for two weeks. The programboosts morale for those deployed.

On the coverPhoto illustration by Spc. Janine Coogler

Japanese soldier fills his plate withvarious Japanese cuisine duringfarewell celebration at Japaneseambassadors residence.

CONTENTS 06

Page 10 Building relationsFour Kuwaiti firefighters attend a disastertraining course provided by the militaryat Camp Arifjan.

44

6

88

The sixth rotation of Japanese soldierscelebrated the end of their rotation withtheir ambassador at his house Aug. 23

Labor Day celebration, poolside cinema,Vince Vaughn, ballroom dancing, singlesracquetball tournament, OperationHardwood, Labor Day 10K.

DESERTVOICE

EditorCFLCC PAO/Desert VoiceCamp ArifjanAPO AE 09306

[email protected]

Find us online at www.dvidshub.net

Pages 5 80th Div. set to deploySoldiers from the Army Reserve 80thDivision (Institutional Training) deployedto Iraq last week to train Iraqi Soldiersand policemen

66-77

3Desert Voice August 31, 2005

A severely injured servicemember’s lifewas saved Aug. 13 after he was involved in agun truck accident in Iraq.

A large-scale team effort between militarymedical units located in Iraq, Kuwait andQatar as well as the Kuwait Ministry ofHealth contributed to the patient’s survival.

The efforts of the 62nd Medical Brigade,377th Theater Support Command, ground andair ambulance crews gave teams of surgeonsand medical specialists at United StatesMedical Hospital – Kuwait the chance to treatthe patient’s critical injuries and give him asecond chance at life.

The nine-line medical evacuation requeststated that the patient had received an openfracture to his left arm and massive facialtrauma as a result of the accident.

The 344th Combat Support Hospital, 44thMedical Command, initially treated thepatient in Iraq, but found that they needed theaid of a vascular (artery) surgeon and calledthe Medical Regulating Office at CampArifjan to request assistance and possibleacceptance of the case.

“This was an out-of-sector mission, mean-ing that we are venturing beyond our normalsector of operations,” said Maj. RichardWilson, 62nd Medical Bde. medical regulat-ing officer, who controls patient movementinto and out of Kuwait. “By crossing the bor-der, you’ve got two main things to consider:one is it’s an international border … and theother is it’s the border of Coalition ForcesLand Component Command andMultinational Corps, Iraq’s battle space.”

“They called and requested assistance;because almost all the medical and evacuationassets are positioned in other parts of Iraq …and we are actually closer to them than anyother hospital … with a vascular surgeon,” headded.

After receiving approval from the MRO tocross the Iraqi border, 236th MedicalCompany’s (Air Ambulance) Dustoff 11, aMEDEVAC-configured Blawkhawk, took offat 1:38 p.m. from Camp Buehring to retrievethe patient.

Upon arrival at the landing zone at 2 p.m.,the patient was still undergoing stabilizationsurgery and was receiving rescue breathingwith supplemental oxygen from a bag-valvemask from the 566th Medical Company (AreaSupport), 44th Medical Command, groundambulance crew.

After making sure the patient was loadedsafely, Staff Sgt. John Sanchez, 236th MedicalCo. flight medic, continued to provide rescuebreathing with the bag-valve mask.

After assessing the patient, Sanchez indi-cated to the pilots, Capt. Rebecca Jarabek andCapt. Anthony Wolf, that they must expediteto the medical hospital at Camp Arifjan asquickly as possible or risk losing the patient.

While in flight, Sanchez, with the help ofSgt. Brian Parrish, 236th Med. Co. crew chief,administered cardiopulmonary resuscitationon the casualty after the patient’s pulsedropped rapidly and fell below 40 beats perminute – 60 to 80 is normal – three separatetimes before reaching USMHK.

“With all the training we received … wecame together and were able to save his life,”Parrish said.

Hospital personnel from CasualtyReceiving, anesthesia, the blood bank, theoperating room and the helo-pad team prepared and awaited the patient’s arrival.

When the Blackhawk landed, emergencyroom staff unloaded the patient and conductedpreliminary assessments for the eventualresuscitative surgery in the operating room.

“After I left the hospital and heard that thepatient had his heartbeat back, it made me feelglad that I was able to get him there,”Sanchez said.

Under the direction of Navy Cmdr. JosephCostabile, department head of surgery, it wasfound that the patient had two major points ofuncontrolled hemorrhaging: the brachialartery in the arm and the upper neck.

Through the teamwork of surgeons anddoctors, the operating room was able to con-trol the hemorrhaging from both areas.

“This was a tremendous team effort,” saidDr. (Navy Capt.) Manuel Rivera-Alsina,USMHK chief of professional services. “Atone time there were seven surgeons workingas a team, with one anesthesiologist and threecertified registered nurse anesthetists.”

During the surgical operation the patienthad used up the hospital’s blood supply, andblood products necessary for the case wererequested from the Central Kuwait BloodBank.

“We don’t carry platelets ... a blood com-ponent, and through networking with theCKBB, we were able to obtain enough prod-ucts to keep the patient from continuousbleeding during his stay at USMH-K,”Manuel-Alsina said.

An emergency blood supply was alsoflown in from the Theater Blood DistributionCenter in Qatar. The TBDC ships blood on aroutine basis to all the military hospitalsacross the Middle East.

They flew in the blood by C-130 to Ali AlSalem, Airbase, transferred it in a 236th Med.Co. Blackhawk, which then flew down to theUSMHK.

A few days later, the patient was flownfrom Kuwait to Landstuhl, Germany and thento Walter Reed Medical Center.

Rivera-Alsina said, “It is my opinion thatthe Navy, Army and Air Force team effort inthis case gives credit to military medicine …this is truly why we are here.”

Kuwait medical teams accept over-the-border mission…

Spc. Robert AdamsAssistant Editor

Team effort saves servicemember’s life

Courtesy PhotoStaff Sgt. John Sanchez, 236th Medical Co. flight medic, heads around the aircraft toensure all the patients are secure after an air ambulance flight crew responded to a vehi-cle roll-over June 14. Sanchez recently kept an injured patient alive through CPR while hisflight crew transported him from Iraq to the Camp Arifjan hospital Aug. 13.


Fine china, highly shined silverware, col-orful centerpieces and extravagant foodwere flamboyantly placed throughout thehouse. The decorative Japanese cuisineseemed to be never-ending. Waiters wereconstantly replacing empty trays of food tomake sure the guests had plenty of choices.

Sushi, tempura, Japanese noodles andmany more dishes were displayed on tablesfor the Japanese soldiers to enjoy.

Cameras were constantly flashing asJapanese soldiers had the opportunity tomeet and take pictures with their ambassa-dor, Japanese commanders and U.S. militaryofficers.

More than 180 Japanese soldiers from thesixth rotation of the Japanese Grown SelfDefense Force were invited to wine and dinein style at the Japanese ambassador’s resi-dence Aug. 23.

This type of celebration is held afterJapanese soldiers complete their three-to-four month rotations, said Japanese Lt. Col.Shinichi Matsuzaka, rotation onward-move-ment coordination section chief.

The Japanese coalition’s mission is to

help rebuild infrastructure, purify water andprovide medical relief, said Japanese Capt.Yoshiki Takedomi, chief interpreter.

The invitation to the relaxing atmosphereat the ambassador’s residence meant a lot tothe Japanese soldiers, said Masamitsu Ohki,Japanese ambassador to Kuwait.

“This is the first time for many of the sol-diers to meet their ambassador,” he said.“They will be able to take pictures and showthem to family and friends back home.”

Throughout the night Ohki posed for hun-dreds of pictures so the soldiers would havea memoir of their experience at the ambas-sador’s house.

Ohki said he wanted to make sure theJapanese soldiers knew they were appreciat-ed for serving their country.

“I wanted the celebration to be at my resi-dence because it makes it more personal,”Ohki said.

In addition to congratulating the soldiersfor a job well done, Ohki said the celebrationwas a stepping stone for the soldiers beforegoing back to Japan.

For at least three months, the Japanesesoldiers had to adjust their eating habits andfocus on the humanitarian mission in Iraq,Ohki said.

The dinner was a chance for the soldiersto reacquaint themselves with their tradition-al habits before returning to Japan, he added.

“The atmosphere is different here,” Ohkisaid.

He added, “It will be an adjustment forthe soldiers to live in their homes. This istheir chance to adapt before going back toJapan.”

Being in a nice house, compared to thetents they became accustomed to, lifted thespirits of the Japanese soldiers, Takedomisaid.

Ohki said the soldiers have gone at leastthree months since they ate sushi or tempura,seafood and vegetables dipped in batter anddeep-fried.

“It is a big night for them. They are ableto feast on great food and meet interestingpeople,” Ohki added.

Matsuzaka said the night ended with theJapanese commander speaking to the crowd.He thanked the soldiers for serving, repre-senting their country and completing theirhumanitarian mission.

The night brought smiles to all the sol-diers’ faces. Upon exiting the house, soldierslined-up to thank the ambassador for theunforgettable experience.

6th rotation troops celebrate end of tour with dinner party with ambassadorSushi, pictures for Japanese soldiersSpc. Janine CooglerCFLCC PAO/11th PAD

Spc. Janine CooglerMore than 180 U.S. military and Japanese soldiers surround the Japanese ambassador at his residence during a farewell celebration atthe ambassador’s house Aug. 23. The celebration was held to honor the sixth rotation soldiers for completing their humantarian mis-sion in Iraq. The soldiers were able to eat Japanese cuisine and take pictures with the ambassador.


“No man is to be employed in the fieldwho is not trained and tested in discipline”

- Flavius VegetiusmRoman 4th Century

military writer

Before deploying to Iraq, Soldiers fromthe Army Reserve 80th Division (InstitutionalTraining) didn’t receive the typical training aunit normally receives at Udairi Range.

The Multinational Security TransitionCommand-Iraq Soldiers, will be supportingand conducting training with Iraqi soldiersand policemen.

“They don’t have a structured military likethe United States,” said Capt. Jeff Rosenberg,assistance operations officer. “So we’ll besending them through a basic training crashcourse.”

The MNSTC-I Soldiers were sent throughmore in-depth courses on convoy live fire,crew-served weapons training and foreignweapons training as preparation for what theywill be teaching.

Many in the unit are instructors for basictraining sites, military police and infantryschools across the United States and their

challenge will be learning the language andworking with interpreters.

“We are going to depend on interpreters,”said Master Sgt. Rachelle Sweet, MP instruc-tor. “We have to trust that they will give theinstructions or commands the exact same waywe gave it to them.”

Sweet said the interpreters will be one ofthe most valuable assets serving as theinstructors’ right-hand man. They will beexpected to know military jargon and thestep-by-step process of how the training willbe conducted.

If there is something the instructor has todo, then there has to be an Iraqi soldier orpoliceman there to do it with him, said 2ndLt. Benjamin Story, operations officer.

“They’re going to be shadowing us ineverything we do, so they can learn every-thing,” he said.

“They will be doing the same jobs that ourmilitary police and Soldiers are doing,”Sweet said.

He added, “They’ll do anything from con-voy route security, main support route securi-ty, establishing checkpoints and roadblocks,going into the homes and clearing any poten-tial threats or insurgents.”

After the boot camp-type course, they’llbreak off into smaller groups in which theywill learn more details about their jobs,

Sweet said.At the conclusion of the basic training

course, infantry personnel will go through anadvanced training school, while policemenwill enter an academy, she added. Throughthese schools, they will be taught how todefend themselves and, more importantly, thepeople of Iraq.

Sweet said it will be better once the Iraqiforces take over because the people of Iraqwill feel comfortable. If they need to searcha home, then they know the culture and howto talk to the civilians, rather than having anAmerican Soldier enter the building and notknow the language and inadvertently disre-spect the culture.

“The Army sent us for our knowledge andexpertise to teach the Iraqis,” he said. We’regoing to treat the Iraqis with respect and earntheir trust. When they see that we truly careand want to help them, then they’ll reallywant to participate and everything else willfall into place.”

“The faster we can get them up to speedon the training, and they feel they can handlethe mission, we can start pulling our Soldiersout,” he said.

He added, “It’s going to take time, but ifwe do our jobs effectively and efficiently,then that’s less time that our Soldiers have tobe here.”

80th Div. set for Iraq mission trains effectively and quicklySpc. Michael R. NoggleCFLCC PAO/11th PAD

Photos by Spc. Debralee P. CrankshawMike Ricker, winner of the 215-pound andhigher catergory, completes a lift during thefirst dead-lift competition at Camp ArifjanAug. 20 at the Zone 1 Fitness Center.Ricker's best lift was 560 pounds.

Larri Tentinger performs his final lift of 520 pounds during the first dead-lift competition atCamp Arifjan Aug. 20 at the Zone 1 Fitness Center. He was the power-for-pound winner at183 pounds. Thirteen males and three females competed in the competition.

Only the strong survive

Acrowd of 500 Soldiers sat, watchingwith intensity as the lucky winnerwas called forward. He walked up

with a smile creeping onto the corners of hismouth. He shook the general’s hand andbegan accepting his prizes.

Cpl. James Holcombe, 200th EngineerBattalion, an Alabama National Guard unit,was the 250,000th traveler to go on rest andrecuperation Aug. 21 at Ali Al Saleem. Hedeployed to Camp Victory, Iraq, sevenmonths ago. He used his R&R to travel toNew Orleans to surprise his mother for herbirthday. For being the quarter-millionthtraveler he recieved two round-trip tickets toa location of his choosing, a $100 Army andAir Force Exchange Service gift certificate, acoin from Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, 377thTheater Support Command commandinggeneral, and certificates to frame on his wall.

Holcombe said he was shocked to be thelucky traveler and the experience was slight-ly overwhelming.

“It’s a lot of responsibility,” Holcombesaid. “I’m representing everyone before meand everyone after me. I’m just a simpleSoldier in Iraq.”

Sending Holcombe home is a milestonefor the two-year-old program. The last mile-stone for the program was a year ago whenthey sent the 100,000th servicemember onR&R.

Military members and Department ofDefense employees can take advantage of the

program. They are allowed 15 days ofchargeable leave, however, the flights arefully funded by the military. Travelers takemilitary transportation to Ali Al Salem AirBase. From there they fly into Frankfurt,Germany, Atlanta or Dallas and can take oneconnecting flight to their destination.

After arriving at the air base, servicemem-bers are greeted by someone in the R&R pro-gram. Processing the travelers usually takesat least two days. First, the R&R per-sonnel bring the travelers to bil-leting to get them a place tosleep. They are then takento the processing center.

At the processingcenter, identificationcards are collectedand scanned. At thatpoint the R&R pro-gram becomes respon-sible for all travelers.

The next step for theservicemembers is toattend a briefing where theyreceive important numbers, goover their leave forms and learntips and procedures for their travel.

According to Staff Sgt. Angela Finney,phase one inbound team leader, R&R pro-gram, one of the main problems the stafffinds when giving the briefing is that service-members have their home of record addresson their leave form, but they are not travelingthere. The vacation address must be on theleave form so the flights can be correctlybooked.

Following the briefing, travelers visit theCommercial Travel Office run by SATOTravel. While here, they go over their leaveform address and discuss options for theirtravels. There are two CTO locations. Oneprocesses R&R leave, while the otherprocesses all other travel, including emer-gency leave.

After visiting CTO, travelers are usuallyreleased with accountability formations to

attend. A mandatory flight updatebriefing is given the next morn-

ing. Servicemembers then

attend their final lock-down formation.Following the forma-tion, the travelers arebrought to customs.After completingcustoms they are

taken to the holdingarea. While in the area

CTO passes out papertickets for the travelers’

flights. Flights from Ali Al Salem are

contracted by the government. Connectingflights cost the military an average of $550each, according to Lt. Col. Frazlier L. Pope,R&R programs chief, Coalition Land ForcesComponent Command.

“It’s an awesome program – a tremen-dously good buy for the Army,” he said.

The program has 600 to 700 travelers aday, according to Staff Sgt. Ene Warner,phase one sergeant, R&R program.


Spc. Debralee P. CrankshawCFLCC PAO/ 11th PAD

RR&&RR pprrooggrraamm sseennddss 225500,,000000tthh ttrroooopp hhoommee Invaluable program improves servicemembers’ morale

Soldiers look over theirpaperwork during anR&R briefing. Duringthe briefing, service-members peruse theirleave forms, watch asafety video and learntips and procedures fortheir travel.


Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, 377th TSC com-manding general, addresses troops takingR&R during the 250,000th traveler ceremony.

Photos by Spc. Debralee P. CrankshawMaj. Denise Benoit-Turner, 337th Theater Support Command personnel officer, servesthe first slice of cake at the 250,000th traveler ceremonyat Ali Al Salem. Cpl. JamesHolcombe, deployed to Camp Victory, Iraq, was the quarter-millionth traveler. For thishe recieved two round-trip tickets, an Army and Air Force Exchange Service gift cer-tificate and a coin from Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, 377th TSC commanding general. Thelast milestone for R&R was a year ago with the 100,000 traveler.

The program pulls servicemembers to theR&R gateway in Ali Al Salem. Travelerscome from the Horn of Africa, Qatar, Iraq,Kuwait and Afghanistan, Pope said.

Servicemembers have to be in these areasto qualify for the program and also must haveat least a one year tour.

Members of the R&R team say they enjoyprocessing servicemembers of all ranks andno one gets preferential treatment, accordingto Finney.

“This is probably the most exciting jobI’ve ever had,” she said. “Everyone is excit-ed. There are no VIPs to us – a private istreated just like a general.”

According to Sgt. 1st Class WilliamReese, R&R program outbound travelers non-commissioned officer in charge, there is onepurpose on the staff’s mind.

“Our goal is mainly to run a successfuloperation and I think we are meeting thatgoal,” he said.

The team is committed to the servicemem-bers, according to Finney.

“Knowing the hard work we do is helpingsomeone else is the ultimate feeling,” shesaid. “The Army has managed to put togethera group of people who like helping others.”

The team members said they think thisprogram is a good way to rejuvenate service-members in the fight.

“It’s so invaluable for morale and welfareof the troops,” Pope said.

He added, “We need to move them out ofthis environment because it’s essential inensuring the quality of life for the service-members. It affords them the opportunity torest and recuperate and come back with arenewed vigor and focus on the mission athand to get the job done.”

Maj. Gen. BruceCasella, (right)377th TSC com-manding general,reads Cpl. JamesHolcombe’s Armyand Air ForceExchange Servicegift certificateduring the250,000th restand recuperationtraveler ceremo-ny.

Servicemembers usually try toescape the extreme Kuwait tem-peratures by staying inside.Offices and tents are pumpingcool air all day. But if the air-conditioning units break down,who do you call?

Two U.S. Navy Seabees pro-vide intermediate and operationalmaintenance on environmentalcontrol units and any powerproblems at the U.S. MilitaryHospital - Kuwait, Camp Arifjan.

Knowing the importance ofhis job, Navy Petty Officer 2ndClass Vodym Klyatskyy, hospitalconstruction electrician, said theyare needed because the facilitytakes care of everyone, from con-tractors to servicemembers.

The hospital must meet theneeds of its patients in a func-tional environment.

During a training activity, oneof the breakers popped andpower was lost in the operationroom, said Petty Officer 3rdClass Clinton Saltsman, hospitalutilities technician.

“It was then that people wereable to see the importance of ourjob. We had to quickly fix theproblem and get the power upand running so they could contin-ue to operate,” he said.

The ECUs function better in

moderate weather conditions,Klyatskyy said.

“The majority of the units are15 years old, and they are notmade for 120 degree tempera-tures,” he said. “There’re usuallymade to handle tropical weather.”

The difference in weather con-ditions makes the units more sus-ceptible to break down.

“We do more maintenancethan normal on these unitsbecause of the weather,”Klyatskyy said.

With constant exposure tosand, the units get clogged andbreak down, Saltsman said. Tofix them, the majority of the timethey just have to replace or washdown the filter.

Maintaining the ECUs bene-fits the hospital’s staff, patientsand equipment. Medical equip-ment used in the hospital oper-ates better in a cooled environ-ment, Saltsman said. In addition,some equipment lets off quite abit of heat, so without air-condi-tioning the room temperaturebecomes extremely hot.

Saltsman and Klyatskyy areproud to have completed manyprojects which helped the hospi-tal’s workspace, morale, and tem-perature, Klyatskyy said.

One of their prized projectsincludes the small building wherethey work in, Saltsman said.“We built this building pretty

much out of scrap lumber.”They were confined to a small

space, and needed a lot of spaceto fix the equipment and storetheir tools, he said. So they builttheir own workspace.

The Seabees didn’t have theirown space because they werereplacing contractors.

“We had to start everythingfrom scratch… from the kind ofmaintenance that had to be doneon units to making contacts forbackup help,” Klyatskyy said.

Klyatskyy and Saltsman wereable to find a comfort zone andcomplete a variety of jobs.

They fixed ECUs, built entry-ways to tents and helped buildthe hospitals recovery zone,which includes a small golfcourse.

The entry-ways were built tohelp keep the tents at a constanttemperature while people pass inand out of the tents, Klyatskyysaid.

“This way the units don’t haveto work as hard to regulate tem-perature,” he said.

Saltsman said they used paintcans filled with sand and five-fifty cord to make the doors tothe entry-ways close on theirown.

Working with limited tools,the Seabees accomplished manyjobs to help the hospital stayfunctional, Saltsman said.

Gleaming with pride,Saltsman said they were cost-efficient for the hospital.

He added, “We make do withwhat we can get a hold of.”


Seabees work hard inlandSpc. Janine CooglerCFLCC PAO/11th PAD

Spc. Janine CooglerTwo Seabees built this area so patients can go outside and enjoya breath of fresh air.

Welcome Sgt. Alex Licea

Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, ThirdU.S. Army/U.S.Army Forces Central

Command/Coalition Forces LandCompetent Command commander, and

Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin G. Ashe,Third U.S. Army/CFLCC incoming com-

mand sergeant major, render a saluteduring Assumption of Responsibility

Ceremony at Third U.S. ArmyHeaquarters, Fort McPherson, Aug. 24.

aboard...


Deployments no place for pets, mascotsUnited States Central

Command General Order NumberOne prohibits adopting, caring for,or feeding any type of domestic orwild animal.

While some may view the ruleas harsh, unfounded or just plainmean, Coalition Forces LandComponent Command medicalofficials declare the rule serves asignificant purpose.

“I think pets are a wonderfulthing, but they have to be wellcared for in an environment that’snot only convenient for the pet,but also convenient for the personwho has the pet,” said Army Col.Eldon Bell, CFLCC Surgeondirector of clinical operations.

“To put it in perspective,there’s a time and a place foreverything,” said Army Col. JackWedam, CFLCC veterinarian.“Deployments are not the place tohave and nurture pets.”

When you hear the word “pet,”what generally comes to mind is acute, furry, cuddly, playful dog orcat. Unfortunately, in a deployedenvironment there are hiddenhealth dangers behind those furryfaces.

“We have to look at it from thefamily members’ point of view,”Wedam said. “Six months fromnow, when they finally connectthe dots and … find out that noone intervened, they’re going tosay that I failed them. And theywould be right if I did not pointout the facts.”

“One of the difficulties youface here with pets is that there isno good coverage from a veteri-nary standpoint,” Bell explained.“If somebody brings in a … cat ora puppy dog or any other animalthey’ve caught in the wild, wedon’t have a way of making surethese animals don’t have a seriousdisease. And so the animalbecomes a reservoir of diseasesfor the other troops.”

Although unvaccinated animals

can carry a plethora of diseases,the two most common in theaterare leishmaniasis and rabies.

Rabies is the most widelyknown of the two. But there aremore instances of leishmaniasis intheater.

Leishmaniasis is an infectiousdisease transmitted by the bite ofan infected sand fly foundthroughout tropical areas world-wide, including Southwest Asia. Itoccurs as a skin infection (cuta-neous) or as an infection of theliver, spleen and other internalorgans (visceral).

When sand flies bite dogs, theybecome carriers of the disease.

The latest unofficial numberfrom the Defense MedicalSurveillance System of service-members infected with leishmani-asis is 1,266, according to Dr. (Lt.Col.) Pete Wiena, a leading physi-cian on leishmaniasis.

Symptoms of leishmaniasisrange from small sores that can bepainless or painful tosores that change insize and end up look-ing like a volcano,with raised edges anda sunken center,according towww.cdc.gov.

“This is a forcehealth protectionissue,” said NavyCapt. Lee Ras,CFLCC deputy sur-geon.

He explained thatpreventing these dis-eases falls in the samecategory as makingsure immunizationsare current, constantmonitoring and main-tenance of watersources and enforcingstrict dining facilityand food-handlingstandards.

“We have hadsome active caseswithin the past year,”Ras said. “In

November or December we had acontractor in Afghanistan ‘adopt’a little puppy. It would nip peoplea little during play. It ended upbiting about 38 people who endedup having a full series of rabiesshots because the puppy hadrabies.”

Those 38 servicemembersended up receiving $38,000 of therabies vaccine, Bell said.

“If you’re going to have pets,they have to be monitored evenmore closely than your own petsat home because of all the healthrisks in theater,” Ras said. “Wedon’t have those kinds of assets intheater.”

The problem with rabies is thatits effects may not be evident forweeks or months. Even thoughthey don’t appear very sick, Bellsaid animals can carry rabies forsome time.

Because rabies is so well-con-trolled in the States, Bell said thatmedical personnel don’t immedi-

ately think of it when someonecomes in sick.

“Most of the people who die inthe United States from rabieseither didn’t report the animal biteor didn’t think it was serious,” hefurther explained, adding thatthere have been cases of rabiesthat occurred as much as 29months after the bite.

“The likelihood of surviving itis very, very small. Once you getclinical rabies, it’s uniformlyfatal,” Bell warned. “People don’tsurvive clinical rabies.”

Contrary to what some mightbelieve, prohibiting pets and mas-cots is a vital part of protectingthe deployed force. Taking instray animals can have far-reach-ing consequences that can be easi-ly avoided by just adhering toGeneral Order Number One.

So for your health and thewell-being of your fellow service-members: Please don’t feed theanimals.

Staff Sgt. Kerensa HardyCFLCC PAO/11th PAD NCOIC

Dr. (Lt. Col.) Pete Wiena, aleading physician on leishmani-asis said the actual number ofcases is likely significantlyunder reported for severalreasons:

Of the cases seen in thefirst year in Iraq, Soldierswaited an average of nineweeks after the lesions firstappeared until they soughtmedical care.

Reporting is passiverather than active, so it is like-ly that only the more aggres-

sive cases or cosmeticallyunappealing (disfiguring) casesare coming in for treatment.

Many new referrals arecoming in from VeteransAdministration and the civilianpractitioners caring for return-ing veterans.

If you see stray amimals onCamp Arifjan, call JosephMoise at DSN 430-3090 ormobile, 682-1244.

If strays are seen at othercamps, contact the local mili-tary police or pest control.

Leishmaniasis under reported

Cute, cuddly animals can cause more harm than good

Sign of Leishmaniases


One way the U.S. military builds strongrelations with Kuwait is by inviting them toattend courses and training exercises.

Four Kuwaiti firefighters of the FireService Directorate Hazardous MaterialTeam, along with interested military person-nel, attended an eight-hour Basic DisasterLife Support course put on by the 62ndMedical Brigade, 377th Theater SupportCommand at the Camp Arifjan Zone 1Chapel, Aug. 18.

The course went over how to prepare andrespond to natural disasters as well as differ-ent forms of terrorist attacks.

The main focus of the course was onnuclear, biological and chemical terrorismattacks, since it is a current threat around theworld.

“The people that are here will be able to

respond to a disaster,” said course instructorNavy Lt. Cmdr. Roy Seitz, ExpeditionaryMedical Facility-Dallas. “This courseraises people’s aware-ness … and teachesthem what they needto watch out for andwhat they can do to bemore helpful thanharmful,”

After attending the course, the KuwaitiHAZMAT team plans to return to its firebrigade and train other firefighters and for-mulate its own plan of action in case a disas-ter happens in Kuwait.

“We learned a lot from the course … andit gives us ideas on how we are going tocooperate with our fire brigade and medicalservices,” said Kuwaiti Maj. Jamal Al-Belaihis, Kuwait Fire Service DirectorateHAZMAT Team. “Our task is to save lives …

know how to treat people … get them out ofsituations and at the same time teach

Kuwaitis how to protectthemselves,” he said.

The Kuwaiti firefightershave gotten the opportunityto train with the U.S. mili-tary over the past six yearsin different exercises andcourses.

During the first exercises the team madesome mistakes, but during the second andthird ones everything went smoothly andeverybody knew their job, Al-Belaihis said.

Not only have the Kuwaiti firefightersbeen training with the military in country, butthey also are scheduled to go to the UnitedStates for more specialized courses.

“I want to thank the people at Arifjan thatgave us the opportunity to come here and forall the information they have given us,” Al-Belaihis said.

Spc. Robert AdamsAssistant Editor

Building on a lasting partnershipKuwaiti HAZMAT team attends disaster training course

“This course raises people’s awareness … and teaches themwhat they need to watch out for andwhat they can do to be more helpfulthan harmful.”

Lt. Cmdr. Roy Seitz

ARMYbyMichaelVerrett

LIFE

The boots of the fisherman


WednesdayOperation Hardwood championship tourna-ment, 4 p.m., Zone 1 Fitness CenterSingles Racquetball tournament sign-up,players meeting, 6 p.m., Zone 1 FitnessCenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, though Sept. 17Hip Hop Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 CommunityCenterThursdaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, though Sept. 17Country Music Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1Community CenterMexican Music Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 foodcourtR&B/Old School Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stage FridaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, though Sept. 17Arifjan Boxing Team, 7:30 p.m., Zone 6Fitness CenterSalsa Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 CommunityCenterR&B/Old School Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 foodcourtHip Hop Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stageSaturdaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, though Sept. 17SundaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, though Sept. 17Hip Hop Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1 food courtMexican Music Night, 7 p.m., Zone 1Community CenterSalsa Night, 7 p.m., Zone 6 stageMondayLabor Day celebration, 2 p.m., Zone 1Community CenterPoolside cinema, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 7p.m., Zone 1 PoolSingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m.,Zone 1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, through Sept. 17Arifjan Boxing Team, 7:30 p.m., Zone 6

Fitness Center TuesdaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, through Sept. 17WednesdaySingles Raquetball tournament, 5 p.m., Zone1 Fitness CenterIndoor Volleyball League, Zone 1 FitnessCenter, through Sept. 17For more information call 430-1205/1302

WednesdayWalking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleAerobics, 5:30 p.m., MWR Tent 1ThursdayWalking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleTae-Kwon-Do class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1FridayWalking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleAerobics, 6 p.m., MWR Tent 1SaturdayTae-Kwon-Do Class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1SundayWalking Club (10 miles), 4:30 a.m., com-mand cell flagpoleMondayLabor Day 10K run, 6 a.m., MWR Tent 1Walking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleMassage Therapy, 9:30 a.m., PSS Tent 3Aerobics, 6 p.m., MWR Tent 1TuesdayWalking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleTae-Kwon-Do class, 7 p.m., MWR Tent 1WednesdayWalking Club (5 miles), 5 a.m., commandcell flagpoleAerobics, 5:30 p.m., MWR Tent 1For more information call 828-1340

For information call 839-1063

WednesdayPoker tournament practice, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.,MWR CenterThursdayPoker tournament practice, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.,

MWR CenterFridayPoker tournament, MWR CenterSaturdayPoker tournament, MWR CenterSundayVince VauhghnTuesdaySmoking cessation class, 10 a.m., chapelEducation awareness/prevention, 1 p.m.,chapelFor more information call844-1137



WednesdayMidnight madness run, midnight, DustyRoomCountry Night, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomThursdayBazaar, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Dusty RoomKaraoke Night, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomFridayMelody Mingle, 4 p.m., Dusty RoomSalsa Night, 8 p.m., Dusty RoomSaturdayCheckers, 7 p.m., MWR tentR&B, Hip Hop Night, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomSundayVince VauhghnDominoes, 7 p.m., MWR tentOld School Jams, 8 p.m., Dusty RoomMondaySpades, 7 p.m., MWR tentTuesdayBingo, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomRock, Techno Night, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomWednesdayPingpong, 7 p.m., MWR tentCountry Night, 7 p.m., Dusty RoomFor more information call 832-1045

Virginia

Victory

Spearhead/SPOD

Arifjan

Buehring

Kuwaiti Naval Base

Navistar

Community happenings for Aug. 31 through Sept. 7

Arifjan/Ali Al Salem Shuttle ScheduleDeparts Arrives

6 a.m.8:30 a.m.

10:45 a.m.1:15 p.m.3:45 p.m.6:15 p.m.8:45 p.m.11:15 p.m.

8:15 a.m.10:30 a.m.

1 p.m.3:30 p.m.

6 p.m.8:30 p.m.11 p.m.

1:30 a.m.* Buses depart and arrive from both locations at these times

Eyeing the prize

august 31, 2005 serving the u.s. and coalition forces in kuwait...

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