7th Flight

It has been a very busy couple days.
Thursday we had a mass casualty of 15 patients after a dump truck exploded at an Iraqi checkpoint. 1 American and 14 Iraqis came through our facility.
Friday we had 9 patients come in at once after another vehicle borne IED. 1 Iraqi and 8 Marines. 8 of the patients were flown out to a higher level after initial stabilization, 6 of those needed to be accompanied by an ERC Nurse due to being intubated and relatively unstable. 2 nurses took 2 patients each, quite an impressive feat when you consider that 1 patient tends to keep you busy for the 25-40 minute flight, and 2 more nurses took one patient each.
I took a Marine with severe trauma to both legs, an arm, abdominal trauma, and facial fractures. Flight went smoothly, I was in an Army Blackhawk, and they flew at a low altitude the entire trip to Baghdad. Lots of maneuvering, one of the best rides (in a rollercoaster type point of view) that I have had yet. It was a day flight, evening specifically, so ground fire is definitely a concern. I do not know if we were actually shot at, but the flares went off several times when we got near Baghdad. Flight crew didn't seem overly concerned, which is a good indication I did not need to be either.