About Victor

I have had a few people ask "Who is Victor" so I thought maybe others might be curious too. Victor received a package from Operation Mom & got a card from one of my cardmaker helpers. He wrote her to thank her......I suggested she email him back. Correspondence continued & she shared those emails with me. I was so excited about the things he was doing that I contacted him to get on his list & see what I could do to help. This weekend I asked him to provide a little bio for me to share........here it is:

Let me tell you a little about us.

We are with the 28th Combat Support Hospital . I am a surgical technician and I work in the Operating Room. The other members of my section are other enlisted surgical technicians. The actual OR consists of techs, OR nurses, surgeons and anesthetists. We are all one big family and are from all parts of the country ( US ). We are stationed at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Baghdad , Iraq which is in the Green Zone. If you have ever watched Baghdad ER (HBO Special), that is where we are and that is what we do. We see all types of casualties from soldiers to insurgents. Sometimes civilians (to include children) are injured and are brought here. Injuries are from both war to car accidents to everyday type accidents you see in the states. We've been pretty busy lately but we are good at what we do and take our duties and responsibilities seriously. The hospital is a fixed facility (building) which is a nice change from the first time I was here. Back then we did surgery in tents. Food and support facilities are also a lot better/present than compared to my tour in the start of the war in 2003. The living conditions are much better as well (beds are more comfortable than cots). I'm even able to call my wife with no problem. About myself? I am a soldier and surgical technologist. I assist in surgical procedures and prepare the OR for surgeries. I can scrub in all surgical specialties but Neuro is my specialty. I also assemble surgical sets, sterilize instruments, take care of medical equipment and order/pick-up/stock surgical supplies. Periodically, we pull different guard duties and details. As a NCO, I also take care of the soldiers under me and assist them with their needs and training. I have been in the army 14 yrs and have deployed 5 times (2 Iraq , 1 Kuwait (before 9/11), 1 Singapore , 1 Wake Island, 1 Christmas Island ). I have also done 2 30 day trauma rotations (6 days a week, 16 hrs a day) in Level 1 Trauma centers (Ben Taub Houston Texas and Kings County Brooklyn, NY). I have been stationed in Washington , DC ; Schofield Barracks, HI;
Ft Campbell, KY and San Antonio , TX . I am originally from Bakersfield ,CA . My wife is also in the army with 16 years under her belt. She is currently a recruiter in San Antonio (but originally a surgical tech too). We have 5 children with the last one born on 04 Jan 07. This was my 3rd consecutive child born while I am/was deployed. My family is very strong and is handling my absence very well, but I do miss them all a lot. I've been very active in giving toys to children (both patients and kids I see in the Green Zone).

Thank You,
VICTOR