The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. —George Bernard Shaw
Editor-in-Chief, Chester ‘Trip’ Buckenmaier III, MD, COL, MC, USA.
I recently returned to work from a week of fly fishing for bass (Yes, I tie my own flies.) and water sports with my family in Maine. My wife’s family has maintained a classic Maine fishing cabin in the lakes region for over a hundred years. Bathing and the bathroom still require a walk outside and the water comes direct from the lake. For me, it has been an important place to re-connect with family and decompress from work for almost twenty years.
Certainly the monumental impact of email on federal medicine is profound and in many aspects very positive. During my two deployments email was the preferred method of communication between family and me.
Unlike other means of communication, email seemed impervious to the distances and conditions involved in communication from a warzone. I can attest that the business of managing casualties over large distances has been greatly facilitated by the communication advantages afforded by email.
I depend on my email to manage my practice, keep in touch with colleagues, plan business trips, exchange documents, and connect with U.S. Medicine readers, among so many other important activities. It would be hard to imagine modern society without email. read more
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OCTOBER ISSUE OF U. S. MEDICINE
DoD Conference Addresses Battlefield Bleeding WASHINGTON, DC—Preventing servicemembers from bleeding to death on the battlefield is a top priority for military researchers, according to Col Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program at the US Army Medical and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick. Military and civilian researchers gathered in August at the annual Advanced Technology Applications for Combat Casualty Care Conference in Florida to discuss the latest research on a range of injuries incurred on the battlefield, including TBI and hemorrhage. read more
Wounded Servicemembers Discuss Reintegration after Injury WASHINGTON, DC—Injured servicemembers are often first confronted with the reality of reintegration when they are lying in a hospital bed. “It is a shock. All you can think about is ‘where are my guys? Are they able to do the mission without me?’” said Michael Schlitz, who was flown to Brooke Army Medical Center after he was seriously injured in 2007 when an IED stuck his vehicle in theater. read more
Legislators, Military, and Veterans Advocates Clash Over Discharges WASHINGTON, DC—“I said I didn’t have a personality disorder, and he told me if I signed the paperwork that I would get back home and get help and I would have all my benefits. After the endless nights of sleep deprivation, harassment, and abuse, I finally signed just to get out of there. I was broken.” This is how Spc Chuck Luther described his last few months serving with the First Squadron, Seventh Cavalry Regiment of the US Army to members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee last month. read more - Read the article and give us your opinion.
MHS Seeks to Honor Female Physicians WASHINGTON, DC—MHS plans to honor female physicians for the second straight year with its “Building Stronger Female Physician Leaders in the MHS” award. The award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to medicine and/or who have served as exemplary role models for other female physicians. read more
Committee Questions Handling of Contaminated Water at Camp Lejeune WASHINGTON, DC—In 1980, warnings of the base’s drinking water began to surface and by the mid 1980s the wells located there were shut down. Since then, concern has arisen for the health of Marines and their dependents who, over a 30-year period, were believed to have potentially been exposed to toxic chemicals before the base shut down the wells. Questions have also arisen as to why the contaminated wells were not shut down sooner. read more
WASHINGTON, DC—“I said I didn’t have a personality disorder, and he told me if I signed the paperwork that I would get back home and get help and I would have all my benefits. After the endless nights of sleep deprivation, harassment, and abuse, I finally signed just to get out of there. I was broken.” This is how Spc Chuck Luther described his last few months serving with the First Squadron, Seventh Cavalry Regiment of the US Army to members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee last month. 