Afghanistan My Last Tour

I took another picture of one of the camp vehicles that was engaged in a fire fight with the enemy yesterday. Once again the armor and protective glass did their jobs and nobody was injured. However, there is one less bad guy to deal with [crowd cheers].

This undated photo released Thursday, May 21, 2009, by the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs Office shows 1st. Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte, 25, of St. Louis, Mo., when she was a cadet at the Air Force Academy.

On a tragic note, the Air Force lost a female Lieutenant to a roadside bomb along with the life of a government contractor yesterday. Ironically we traveled this same road a few days ago. It’s no secret, every time we leave the confines of the FOB we become a target. This is the reality of combat; this is the reality of war.

For more on Air Force First Lt. Roslyn Schulte, 25, please use this link ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH: Air Force officer from Ladue killed in Afghanistan

or this link: You Served Blog: God Speed 1Lt Rosalyn L. Schulte

or this link:

 CNN: First Female Air Force Academy graduate dies in Afghanistan

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This morning I did not have the opportunity to visit my Sergeant Major. Instead I stayed at the camp and performed some administrative duties. Apparently I am the only SMSgt on the camp and by position of rank; I am the senior enlisted member for the Air Force. As such, I am the enlisted representative or “go to guy” for AF enlisted matters. So in addition to my mentoring mission, I also have a responsibility to take care of the enlisted members and listen to their concerns. Just when I thought I would relinquish my IG hat for a year, I already found myself resolving issues. But I really don’t mind, because it’s so important to take care of the younger troops. One day these troops will replace me. My SMSgt stripes seem to draw intrigue from the other sister services. Because we operate in a joint environment, almost daily I have to explain the AF enlisted rank structure and the differences in our First Sgt positions and answer general questions about the Air Force. The Air Force has a different culture and mission than the Army or Marine Corp and this can cause friction at times. But for the most part we work together towards a single mission and a single goal.

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After lunch, we held a refresher on Advanced Combat Lifesaving techniques (ACLS), to include my favorite (not!) of administering saline IV’s to each other. After my experience in Fort Riley, I was a bit apprehensive at having my teammates stick a needle in my arm. But I also understand the importance of this training. How we react to an injured teammate in the first few minutes could save their life or they could save my life. Finding a good vein in my arm was the challenge. I think as you age, your veins tend to disappear under the skin or contract in size. But once a tourniquet or band is applied to the upper arm, the veins become more visible. I included a few photographs of today’s experiment. I was very particular in whom I chose as my partner today and he managed to stick me on the first attempt and administer a saline drip. In turn, I returned the favor and had no problem finding his veins. It was as though I was looking at a road map and deciding which highway to follow. Only one of my teammates was a bit squeamish especially when the needle was inserted slightly off the mark. His partner was wiggling the needle around trying to get the flash to activate. When he pulled about the needle it was bent in several places….not a good thing. But the training was successful and nobody lost too much blood.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Afghanistan, IED, media, photography, Roslyn Schulte, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, war