HBO Documentary May 21st; Baghdad E.R.

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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].

Specializes in Onc/Hem, School/Community.

I'd been waiting for this show to air and saw it yesterday. All I can say is "thank you" to all the military personnel for all that you do. Your sacrifices will not be forgotten.

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i don't have HBO and missed this show. i followed the links and saw that it was on sale for 25 bux. question: is this worth it and worth several viewings? does it hold up to multiple viewings or is it something that one can only watch once? (i would like to be in the army nurse corps -- would viewing this help me solidify my decision? did they feature a lot of female nurses?)

http://store.hbo.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2365959&cp=1885676&clickid=mainnav_other_txt&parentPage=family

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
i don't have HBO and missed this show. i followed the links and saw that it was on sale for 25 bux. question: is this worth it and worth several viewings? does it hold up to multiple viewings or is it something that one can only watch once? (i would like to be in the Army Nurse Corps -- would viewing this help me solidify my decision? did they feature a lot of female nurses?)

http://store.hbo.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2365959&cp=1885676&clickid=mainnav_other_txt&parentPage=family

IMHO... yes, buy it!

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Specializes in ICU,ER,OR.

The special was definitely stuff that we should be seeing on the nightly news. After years of the same old thing, the fact that our brothers are being blown up by cowards hardly gets a mention anymore. If we subjected the public to daily graphic exsanguinations, traumatic amputations, and 90% BSA full thickness burns, we might see some interest in what we actually do.

Not too long ago, the press (i.e., a little known mag like Time that was in every household) would show a little girl running down the street on fire and prisoners being shot in the head. We just don’t have that kind of graphic feedback and exposure for our war.

The HBO special was nice, but it really should have been on PBS and replayed every Saturday at 0800. I was fortunate enough to see it with my wife. She definitely found new respect for our profession and asked quite a few questions.

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The special was definitely stuff that we should be seeing on the nightly news.

i'm not sure if it's been discussed in this forum, but i've read somewhere that there were definitely news blackouts or media censorship to "soften" things....which included not allowing the nightly news or newspapers to show all the flag-draped coffins lined up....

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It just won FOUR statuettes at the 58th Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards!!! :cheers: :yeah: :yelclap:

I think it was nominated for SIX, but the other two categories might have been for the primetime awards show scheduled for Sunday (tomorrow!).

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Case Management, also OR/OB.

I also watched this great documentary program, and as usual it was up to HBO's usual high quality. This was indeed a gritty and at times hard to watch presentation of heroic care delivery by consumnate medical/nursing professionals in a hellish enviornment. I was so impressed by no political meanderings and by the reverence for every soldier. It also captured the way we all have to cope sometimes under unimanageable stress. Hats off to our men and women who serve with pride. Also watched the show on WE (I think) about Viet Nam nurses, it too was great. If they repeat, be sure to catch that one. Our nursing colleagues from the 60's and 70's were finally honored with a memorial in DC. Good stuff.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I also watched this great documentary program, and as usual it was up to HBO's usual high quality. This was indeed a gritty and at times hard to watch presentation of heroic care delivery by consumnate medical/nursing professionals in a hellish enviornment. I was so impressed by no political meanderings and by the reverence for every Soldier. It also captured the way we all have to cope sometimes under unimanageable stress. Hats off to our men and women who serve with pride. Also watched the show on WE (I think) about Viet Nam nurses, it too was great. If they repeat, be sure to catch that one. Our nursing colleagues from the 60's and 70's were finally honored with a memorial in DC. Good stuff.

I have the upmost respect for all US Military Veterans that served during the Viet Nam War.

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