HBO Documentary May 21st; Baghdad E.R.

Corvette Guy · May 21, 2006

Ttt

fergus51 · May 22, 2006

Thanks for the post. I may watch it tonight.

Corvette Guy · May 22, 2006

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 · May 22, 2006

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 · May 22, 2006

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 · May 22, 2006

Interview with film makers

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/baghdader/interview_alpertoneill.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=1968943&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312&WNT=true

She started a support group for parents of soldiers:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06102005-500805.html

RN_ANC · May 22, 2006

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 · May 22, 2006

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 · May 22, 2006

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.

macanes, BSN, MSN, DNP, CRNA · May 22, 2006

Kudos to HBO. Don't know about y'all, but I was tearing up a couple of times.

mandana · May 22, 2006

So, I watched last night. Luckily for me this was a free channel weekend, so I had HBO last night and usually do not. Also, lucky for me I just happened to catch the post about it or I would not have known to watch it.

I really don't know what to say about it. I think it was excellently done, incredibly thought provoking and moving. I didn't pick up on a political slant at all, and that was a relief because when people are dying and others are working their butts off to save lives, the politics of the issue isn't really that important.

The show moved me. It moved my husband out of the room about half-way through. I love that there are such dedicated docs, nurses, chaplains and medics working so hard for those kids ( I use the word kids to acknowledge their youth, not to detract from their ability) under less-than-ideal circumstances. I'm also amazed at the resilience of these men and women who fight this fight. I worry about PTSD and hope that those that suffer will be able to find a way to deal with what they've experienced. The scene that really got me was when the Chaplain gave permission to the young man to cry, then a moment later when the two young men were wheeled next to each other to talk. I feel that lump coming back in my throat just thinking about it. I guess it's the mom in me, but I just want to wrap a blanket around them and hold them tight.

More than anything, I was left with a feeling that this should be required viewing for all policy makers.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad that I saw it. Definitely gave me some things to think about - on both sides of the coin.

Amanda