[Corvette Guy]

Baghdad ER, an HBO documentary will be aired publicly this Sunday. This documentary covers the 86th Combat Support Hospital while in Baghdad last summer. I saw a pre-screening at Madigan Army Medical Center this morning. IMHO, the documentary was done in a non-political manner. This show is not to be viewed by those with a weak stomach, or faint heart D/T some graphic scenes of Soldiers & Marines wounded/killed as the result of IEDs. The Army Surgeon General is very concerned about military [past & present] viewers of this documentary becoming afflicted w/PTSD & possible flashbacks of similar experiences. IMHO & from talking with other AMEDD Soldiers that have deployed w/CSH Units to Iraq, this documentary was not nearly as gruesome as it could have been shown. Therefore, I encourage all active duty members, medical & non-medical troops, to see this real time documentary.

Bottom line, if you want to know a little bit about what it is like as a member of a CSH over in the Sandbox then see this HBO documentary. TV Schedule

"You can learn about war by walking through this facility...the horrors of what man can do to man are visualized right here. But we do our best, our level best, to make sure our people survive and make it back to their homes." - COL Casper P. Jones III, Commander, 86th Combat Support Hospital Synopsis

Final Disclaimer; Be advised, I'd give this documentary an R rating for Nudity [R/T Trauma Transport], Graphic Violence [R/T Combat], and Adult Language [R/T ... well, its WAR].

[Corvette Guy]

Ttt

[fergus51]

Thanks for the post. I may watch it tonight.

[Corvette Guy]

Originally Posted by fergus51

Thanks for the post. I may watch it tonight.

If so, please post up your after thoughts. BTW, no kids in front of the TV while watching this show.

[pickledpepperRN]

I wish I were watching now but don't have HBO. I'll sign up to watch next week.
I hear it shows the heroism of the nurses and doctors as well as the injured soldiers.

[fergus51]

It was definitely heartwrenching to watch at times. I don't do adult nursing at all so it's a different type of health care for me to see and I've obviously never been in the military.

The first scene that really got to me was seeing a young man who had survived an explosion when one of his comrades hadn't. He was just so young, and I really felt for him when he was describing what happened because his voice was shaking. Their youth was brought up other times as well. One of the nurses commented on how young they were and said she often told the soldiers who would be evacuated to have a beer in Germany for the medical staff, then said of course some of them aren't old enough to drink yet.

I was particularly struck when they lost a soldier after doing a full code. It wasn't the death that got to me so much because it was clear the man was dead before he made it to the hospital. It was when they started putting his personal possessions away, including his wedding ring. That got to me.

It was strange to see how the docs and nurses there adapted to the situation as some sort of new normal. I wonder how they adjust back to life in the States after living through what they do every day. I was kind of happy to see that familiar black humour (we use that a lot in the NICU too).

The documentary was very well done and apolitical, but I couldn't help myself from wondering if Iraq is worth the cost. One of the nurses said she was becoming a little discouraged because they are as busy as ever. I thought at least they were going to end it on a positive note with a soldier they saved after a bulletwound to his chest. He survived the surgery only to die in the ICU. The prayer they said over his body made me cry and I'm not a crier. I can relate to that particular brand of pain that comes from losing a patient you really thought might pull through and defy the odds.

[pickledpepperRN]

Interview with film makers
http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/bag...ertoneill.html

Paula Zwillinger mother of 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Robert Mininger who died. She urges people to see the film.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1...s0312&WNT=true

She started a support group for parents of soldiers:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...05-500805.html

[RN_ANC]

This is my first post in this forum so please be gentle.

I was stationed in the very same hospital depicted in the show "Baghdad ER". Ibn Sina is the name of the hospital and it used to belong to Saddam, then again, what didn't?. Sorry, went off on a tangent.

The show did a good job at showing that war is indeed Hell. One thing about soldiers that I've always admired is their ability to keep cool even though they've just been through one hell of a traumatic event. (SPOILER: A soldier correct's himself and properly refers to a 2 Star General as "Sir" in the movie). Granted, it probably isn't expected for a freshly wounded soldier to worry about addressing each other correctly, but to be able to "maintain" has always amazed me about many soldiers. It's the HOOAH spirit mang.

More SPOILERS...

One thing I noticed was that aside from the wounded Iraqi soldiers (our allies) there were no depictions that I can recall of wounded civilians. Granted, the show is only an hour long but one clip of a civilian being taken care of would've been nice. My unit, the unit who was relieved by the 86th CSH, took care of several civilians, men, women, and children.

The show brought back some memories that I have stored away. Memories that I know now will never be forgotten.

Side note: There seems to be some press about why the military turnout for this show was low in public viewing areas. I'll tell you why. We don't want to be put under the microscope any more than need be. We know damn well that if we went to a public showing that there would likely be cameras/reporters there wanting to cash in on our personal feelings. We, as soldiers, know war isn't fun. We've been there. So, several people like myself probably watched it in the privacy of their home where we could be free with our emotions.

Good job HBO, thank your for making this movie.

That is all.

- ANCSoldier

[LoriAlabamaRN]

I watched this program, and I thought it was fantastic. I fought tears at many points. My father was in Operation Desert Storm, and I felt such pride for these brave young men, and such sadness for what they are going through.

[Corvette Guy]

Originally Posted by ANCSoldier

This is my first post in this forum so please be gentle.

I was stationed in the very same hospital depicted in the show "Baghdad ER". Ibn Sina is the name of the hospital and it used to belong to Saddam, then again, what didn't?. Sorry, went off on a tangent.

The show did a good job at showing that war is indeed Hell. One thing about soldiers that I've always admired is their ability to keep cool even though they've just been through one hell of a traumatic event. (SPOILER: A soldier correct's himself and properly refers to a 2 Star General as "Sir" in the movie). Granted, it probably isn't expected for a freshly wounded soldier to worry about addressing each other correctly, but to be able to "maintain" has always amazed me about many soldiers. It's the HOOAH spirit mang.

More SPOILERS...

One thing I noticed was that aside from the wounded Iraqi soldiers (our allies) there were no depictions that I can recall of wounded civilians. Granted, the show is only an hour long but one clip of a civilian being taken care of would've been nice. My unit, the unit who was relieved by the 86th CSH, took care of several civilians, men, women, and children.

The show brought back some memories that I have stored away. Memories that I know now will never be forgotten.

Side note: There seems to be some press about why the military turnout for this show was low in public viewing areas. I'll tell you why. We don't want to be put under the microscope any more than need be. We know damn well that if we went to a public showing that there would likely be cameras/reporters there wanting to cash in on our personal feelings. We, as soldiers, know war isn't fun. We've been there. So, several people like myself probably watched it in the privacy of their home where we could be free with our emotions.

Good job HBO, thank your for making this movie.

That is all.

- ANCSoldier

ANCSoldier - No need to be gentle in reply D/T I found your post to be an excellent read... thanks for posting. Three of my Critical Care Nurse Course classmates at MAMC have been deployed to Iraq. They were not with the 86th CSH, yet shared similar sentiments as yours regards to the privacy and internalization a returning Soldier goes thru from watching the documentary. I'm glad you agree the documentary was done in a tasteful manner. The only corny part I saw was the saxophone playing up on the roof. I wonder if that was staged with the Chopper taking off in the background, maybe, maybe not. I do find the saxophone very relaxing.

Hope to to read more of your post here on allnurses.com.