Victor is heard from again

Hello Everyone:

Well, I finished my guard duty and have been busy up in the OR. I seem
to have it each month. I saw a couple of little ones in the hospital
and gave them each a bag of goodies. They were pleased.
A ton of GS cookies came in. I go to the Iraqi scout meeting tomorrow
and I'll find out when they will have their next cookie sale. They also
have a humanitarian team that I am going to try to get involved
with...this should help me distribute some of the excess items that I
accumulate.
We have started decorating for the 4th of July with some of the
items sent to us. One of the wards looks like they are going to be some
competition. I think some more decorations are coming in so we will
see.
Other than that, all is as good as it can be here. My children
had a great time in Florida and got back safely. I hope everyone is
enjoying their summer. Take care and God Bless all of you for your
support.

Thank You,

VICTOR

To see photo's use this link.......no scout photo's this time.

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

GOOD NEWS FOR MONDAY

Being I have been awake for awhile I have had time to look around.....here's some interesting reads so far.

Never underestimate the value of a little dirt.

Scouting Is Alive In Iraq

And I found this bloggers write up on Army Wives which says it better than I prolly could.

More TV good news......

Nuts for Jericho campaign works.....Jericho is saved for next season

Isaiah Washington fired from "Grey's Anatomy"

INSPIRING EMAIL FROM VICTOR IN IRAQ!

It has been a busy weekend but I had to stop to post this before I ran out the door....AREN'T OUR GUYS & GALS AWESOME! Don't you wonder why we don't see this stuff on the evening news or in our daily papers? Why don't you write your editor & ask em.....I did.

Hello Everyone:

I'm sending some more pictures of the cookie sale. They raised $2600(US) that day (4hrs). Not bad. They have a swimming event and some other sport camps coming up. I'll see which I can help out with.I know the children for this council are all from Baghdad from different groups (Sunni and Shite). I am not sure of their economic background. I know they don't have to buy the uniforms you see them in (they are provided by the scouts) and I am sure the program is open to all that are able to come forward (maybe not from the more dangerous parts of Baghdad...yet).

The times did a story on the clean-up I sent pictures of:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1907350.ece

Thank You,

VICTOR

Use this link to see photo's....will expire after 90 days.

MORE SCOUTS IN IRAQ INFO

Hello Everyone:

It was very hot today, but a large group of us and the scouts did a clean up of the scouting area. We removed a lot of branches and leaves. These kids put in an honest days work. Lunch was provided and there was plenty of water. The boys played some soccer afterward and everyone got to help put a tent together. I think they are going to do a camping trip here soon (on these grounds in the IZ). They should have fun.

After all was done I pulled out some inflatable balls, beanie babies and of course my back pack full of candy. I feel we all did some good work here today. If anyone knows any scouting groups that would like their units badge sent to them, just let me know or send to me.They have been making a board with these patches. These are a great bunch of kids and I hope they stick with scouting.

My family is returning from Florida this weekend from vacation. I can't wait for my wife to send me some pictures.Thanks again everyone for your support. It's great to be an American.

Thank You,

VICTOR

use this link to see photos:
Note: This LINK will expire after 90 days.

Email from Victor in Iraq from June 7th

Hello Everyone:

I know it has been a while since last I wrote. We have been very busy these last couple of weeks. I have guard duty next week, so I also had to catch up on supply so the OR would have more then enough to get by on during my absence. It amazes me how fast we go through supplies. I am so glad I have made many contingency plans and back-up supply areas. It is really cooking down here. By late August it should peak.It's already in the 110's*. Don't worry ... we have plenty of water. Went to the girl scout cookie sale today and helped out. It was great. We sold so many cookies. People were very generous donating to the scouting organization. I would also like to thank all of you for your continued support. I truly do appreciate all the effort everyone has contributed. I was also able to make each of the girl scouts present a goodie bag. These girls were very good and you could tell they enjoyed themselves. I have tons of pictures and will continue to send more. Tomorrow I am going to help with the scout ground clean-up. It too should be a lot of fun. A lot of the boy and girl scouts will be there. I'm going to try to bring my power tools too; they should come in handy. I also won't forget my soccer ball. If I can sign out a vehicle,I'll try to bring some toys too. Don't worry; I'll get lots of pictures. Thanks again everyone for thinking of us soldiers and helping me out with my projects. Stay safe and take care.

Thank You,
VICTOR

Hello from Iraq 30 May 2007-From Victor

Hello Everyone:

We have been very busy as usual. I am still waiting to see an empty OR board. There are a couple of children in the hospital. I was able to give them a few items. They seemed to be doing good.I've finally found a couple of people willing to get up at 0500 hrs in the morning to go running. The first week is always the roughest ...after that, getting up and running starts to feel more routine. Hopefully, they don't quit on me. I don't mind the heat so much during the day; it is the sun I don't like. You can feel it burning you up when it is unhindered. I'm getting pretty good with the forklift (5K). It is so much easier to drop my own supplies from the truck then having to wait for someone with a license to assist. I have got a descent amount of cookies for the Iraqi Girl scouts. I will drop them off on the 7th. I'll try to get a bunch of pictures on this day and at the clean-up on the following day at the scout site. My children are out of school and are eagerly awaiting the Florida trip at the end of this week. My daughter is going to be able to take a couple of her friends. I'm sure they will have a great time. Well, I have got to get back to work. Thanks again for all the support. May God keep you safe and in good spirits.

Thank You,
Victor