|
Letter's & Photo's
From a most "Awesome G.I."
This is so overwhelming.
Subject: Hello from Iraq 27 July
2007
Hello Everyone:
As usual, we have been extremely busy. We can't seem to get any
downtime during the day. Just as we get close to finishing our cases,
more come. I've been able to keep the medical supplies rolling in.
The
main medical logistics manager in theater visited last week and told me
that I was the best medical supply NCO he has ever dealt with.
It was
nice to hear though there are many days here that I struggle.
I picked
up and distributed 16 pallets of supplies for the Operating Room yesterday.
I still
am feeling it. It took me forever to unload my truck with the forklift
because it kept overheating. I had to wait for it to cool every so often
before continuing. It was 128 degrees F. and it should be even hotter in
Aug.
Can you believe that they found an 8 month old baby girl in a
dumpster in this heat? She is in the attached pictures.
They say her
parents are dead and they are trying to find her uncle. I don't think
she will be in the hospital very long but all the staff love her.
I
dropped her off some baby items and got to hold her for a little bit.
I
can only imagine how big my baby girl is back home.
The Operating Room put stars up representing how many days we have left. It's a lot of stars (about 120) and very depressing to look at.
I don't know why they wanted to start it out so early. It is still hard to
believe that I will have been away from my family for over 15 months.
I have received tons of clothing. I need to try to get this stuff delivered. Hopefully next week will be slower (I know this is a
redundant statement). I have also got candy, school supplies and of
course toys. The only thing I have gotten low on are snacks for the
Operating Room staff.
We have been so inundated with surgical caseload that the staff have been utilizing the convenience of the snack shelves to a greater
extent.
Thanks again everyone for your letters, packages and support.
You all make far greater a difference than you realize. Take care and
God Bless you all.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
Task Force North
28TH Combat Support Hospital
APO AE 09348
|
|
From the soldier Victor Settles. (most know by now. but for the new
ones, he sends a lot of pictures)
Subject:
Hello from Iraq
30 July 2007
Hello Everyone:
Wow! We have been getting a lot of packages lately. I took some
time over the weekend to go through the packages and make goodie bags.
I made over 70. I put candy, stuffed toys, rubber balls, hair accessories,
cars and random toys that I have accumulated lately. I hope to make some
humanitarian bags later today with soap, toothbrushes, q-tips, etc; this
will all depend on if we get busy our last few hours. I hope to pass the
bags out to the children Tuesday or Thursday this week. This coming weekend, I
plan on making some school bags with pencils, notebooks, etc.
I hope to pass these out at the end of the month.
I haven't been able to make it to the last few scout meetings. I do know that they are planning a cookie sale on Labor Day.
I will finally be able to take the rest of these cookies there and free up some
room on my shelves. They also have some activities planned which I would
like to help out in (soccer, swimming, etc).
I have attached a couple of pictures of kids that were in the hospital last week.
I also took a picture of some of our staff with some scrub hats we received from Baxter.
One is of the gang and the other is of our chief nurse, LTC Williams, and one of the scrub techs, SPC
Parker. They are all holding some FloSeal which we use in Vascular
Surgery to help control bleeding.
My family is doing well and my children start Vacation Bible School this week.
My church always puts on a great VBS so I am sure I will hear all about it in my phone calls home this week.
I also want to thank all the members in my Life Group, my family and friends for
watching over and praying for my family. I truly appreciate all that you
do.
Thanks again to everyone for your support. We are continuing to make a difference here and provide the most advanced care to the troops
and to the people of Iraq.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
|
|
Subject:
Hello from Iraq
31 July 2007
Hello Everyone:
Well, it went over 130 degrees today. I have been drinking a lot of
water. Took me awhile to get used to drinking as much but I need to.
I
sweat so much when I go on the supply runs. The body armor adds to it.
I have also been forgetting to bring my gloves lately. They help me from
burning my hands when working on the truck. Luckily, with the increasein heat has come a decrease in caseload. Hopefully it stays like this
for awhile so I can overfill the supply shelves and keep them that way.
I didn't get a chance to make humanitarian bags but I was able to pass out the 70 kiddie bags.
It was a good day even with the heat. The kids were so happy and surprised to see us coming out to their areas despite
the temperatures. I also found that a couple of the girls I know did not
have to leave. It was great to see that they and their families were OK.
It was very humbling to see so many smiles on a hot day.
My good friend, Dr Teff, passed my name to a lady that delivered me 5 bicycles (Beach Cruzers...thanks Molly).
I got them yesterday. My staff truly can't believe how well I am able to attract miracles.
They love
the bikes and we are using them for transportation to get to and from the PX (like a mini-walmart), finance and etc.
They also use them to just to go out for a ride. I swear they looked just like kids again.
Riding sure beats walking and feels far cooler, too. I will send some
pictures later of the staff with the bikes. We also plan to give the
bikes to some of the kids in the IZ before we leave in NOV. I plan on
letting them ride the bikes while I go to visit some of them.
I will get some pictures when I do. I also already know of two girls who I would
like to give a couple of the bikes to.
The plastic bags definitely came in handy along with all the other goodies. It is so much easier to pass out a bag rather than
individual items. The bags had both girl and boy items.
This should not be a problem for the families in Iraq are large with multiple siblings.
I am sure the boys will pass the hair items to their sisters or mother.
I went to 2 of the main areas I bring items (the swords and the bridge).
I also pulled of to the side of the road and gave bags to kids waiting with their parents for Taxis.
My next couple of projects will be to make some humanitarian bags and school bags.
I also plan on going through all the clothing and shoes and sorting them out for delivery.
If I can make it to one of the next HAB meetings, I will see if we can start a clean-up effort in some of these areas where the children
live.
Thanks again for everything. God is great and I do this all in
His name.
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES |
|
Subject:
Hello from Iraq
31 July 2007
Hello Everyone:
I thought I would send you some pictures of us engaged in the Operating
Room.
We
were busy with cases but not Trauma busy so it allowed me to snap some
pictures of the staff at work.
Mustafa (our housekeeper) is mopping the floor in one of the Operating Rooms following a procedure.(#13)
Lt Euler is checking out the board to see which cases are going.(#14)
SGT Rice (promoted today) is assisting Dr Taylor in a surgical procedure on an Iraqi casualty.(#15)
SPC Rodriguez decons his instruments in CMS following his surgical procedure.(#16)
Thanks again for everything and your support.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 4 AUG
Reply-To: "Julieann" <soldiersmother2@charter.net>
Hello Everyone:
It's been busy as usual, but I was able to make 80 school bags after work last night. It took me forever and I thought it would never
end. Each bag has paper, a notebook, pens, pencils, erasers, pencil,
sharpeners, markers, glue, scissors, crayons, etc. I stuffed the empty
spots of the bag with toys and candy to keep the items from shifting (couldn't help it).
I never could have imagined I could have made this many bags.
Thank you all for your contributions. This will definitely help these kids out when they start school this year. I plan on passing these bags
out on Tue (expect to get some pictures of it then). I can't believe I
am actually looking forward to going out in the heat.
Today's pictures: A little girl holding up a stuffed toy. Sara, Dalia and Fatma look for a couple of toys in the pile of animals.
A little girl at the hospital clutches her three stuffed animals and smiles for the camera.
Two girls help their younger siblings carry off their prized items.
Thanks again everyone for your support. Take care and have a great weekend.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 6 AUG
Hello
Everyone:
Well, I have the school bags loaded up on the truck (80
total). I will pass them out to the children
tomorrow. It should be a good time. I just need
to remember to take some pictures.
Today's
pictures are from when I went out last week. They include:
Three kids gathering up their loot. A boy with an
injured eye holding a superman. A group of smiling kids
holding some stuffed animals. A group of Iraqis receiving
some humanitarian goods (soaps, shampoos, etc).
Thanks again everyone and have a great day.
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 9 Aug
Hello Everyone:
It was a busy day today and I was in charge of the Operating Room floor. I basically assigned the rooms and kept the cases flowing and
communication going. It is starting to wind down now. I was also able to
teach a couple soldiers how to use the 4K and 6K forklifts. This will
allow the Operating Room not to have to be dependent on just me to accomplish these tasks; though I will admit that I do enjoy using the forklifts.
Today's pictures include: Me and LTC Teff standing by a Barber shop in Iraq (He was down here at the CSH with his team last week and I
was showing them around the IZ (Green Zone)). Me with the baby girl that
was found in the dumpster (she is doing so good ... they are still making arrangements to get her with her remaining family and reunite her
with her brothers and sisters). A little boy coming into the
Operating Room (when I
gave him the cars, he asked if he could really take them home.
When I said yes, he finally smiled). A little girl about to leave the
Operating Room; still
a little sleepy from anesthesia.
Thanks again everyone. I plan on wrapping my humanitarian missions up by the end of Sep.
There is no need to send anything after that timeframe. I will then be concentrating on turning over
Operating Room Supply
to the new CSH and on tasks that will get me home by the end of
Nov. I will continue to send all pictures until I leave.
If I find someone in
the new CSH that is willing to continue on where I leave off, I will
forward his / her email address. It's a lot of work and
consumes a lot of your personal time, but it is also very rewarding.
I will send pictures of the bag handouts tomorrow.
Take care and God Bless you all.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 10 Aug
Hello Everyone:
Just a quick hello. Not much new here. I am sending some
pictures of when I passed out the school bags this last Tue.
It took me just a couple of hours to hand them all out (83 bags...took me 6 hours
to make all of them). The bags had all types of school items plus some
toys and candy. Some of the pictures are lower quality because I dropped
my camera and it wasn't working. I had to use my video recorder to take
pictures. Don't worry though; I already have fixed my camera and it is
working fine (I just had to get some of the dirt out and play with it a little).
I got to go, work is calling.
Pictures: A boy and his sister with a bag. SPC Rodriguez passing out
some stuffed animals to add to their bags. Two girls proudly shouldering
their bags. Young man with a bag to help him get ready for school.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
Task Force North
28TH Combat Support Hospital
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 11 Aug
Hello Everyone:
Today I get a day off and I am going to try to go out on my first bike ride. The
Operating Room staff have been using the bikes a lot and love
them. I have been pretty busy lately but should have some time today to
finally take one out for a spin. I'll try to get some pictures.
My surgical supplies in the hospital are finally overstocked.
Supply trucks have finally been rolling in. I have also been getting a lot of care
packages with snacks and other items. The Operating Room team is always in good
spirits when snacks come in. My brother sent me some tortillas, too.
I passed them out but saved a couple for me and had some soft tacos that
night. Delicious with the Taco Bell sauce packets I was sent earlier.
We are inching closer to the end of our 15 month tour. I should be home in San Antonio, TX after Thanksgiving (we should be in Ft Bragg,
NC during Thanksgiving). I'm not an organic member of the 28th CSH based
out of FT Bragg. I am filling a PROFIS vacancy.
Most of the people in this hospital are actually PROFIS and from several other
Medical Centers in the US. I am actually stationed at BAMC in San Antonio, TX and am the
Operating Room NCOIC of the hospital there. I was supposed to be taking over the
surgical tech instructor slot but then I got orders to deploy.
I can't wait to go home.
The Darth Vader costume was purchased and is en route. Thanks to
everyone who helped. You really did not have to but I will definitely
cheer up some soldiers with it on your behalf.
Today's pictures: Young man proudly holding a soccer ball.
Little girl with some goodies. Little boy dreaming of Superman.
Smiling
girl holding some hair accessories.
Thank You,
SSG VICTOR J. SETTLES
Task Force North
28TH Combat Support Hospital
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 14 Aug.
Hello Everyone:
I still have a ton of pictures from last weekend. I and SPC Lullen took the bikes out for a ride.
Each place we went, we let the kids take turns riding the bikes.
I also let them take pictures with my camera (they still need a little practice...some of them).
One thing I noticed riding around was that some of the kids have old bikes...but the tires are flat.
They don't have replacement tires or tubes. If anyone sends me some replacement
tubes / tires for bicycles, I will try to fix as many bicycles that I come across that need repair.
They can be any / all sizes though I have seen more mountain bike sized wheels then small bike wheels (I'm not saying they aren't here).
Today I dropped off a ton of cookies for the Iraqi Girl Scouts cookie sale.
I will send out those pictures later this week. It was great to
see some of the scouts again. They are doing another sale this Thu.
I hope I can make it to this event too. The boys played soccer but I had
to pick up medical supplies in the morning and missed it. SPC Lullen was
able to go though, so I will ask him how it went.
Remember the girl I said they found in the dumpster? Here is the story
CBS did on her.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/13/eveningnews/main3164308.shtml
Just
in case they have removed the article, here it is.
BAGHDAD, Aug. 13, 2007
|
Fatima, a baby girl, was found in a pile of rubble
after her parents were killed in Iraq. (CBS)
Quote: "I've
been in Iraq 12 months and I've seen a lot, but this
is one of the worst things I've ever seen."
Lt.
Eric Laflin |
(CBS)
Her name is Fatima and the nurses caring for her guess she's
about nine months old. No one knows for sure because both her
parents are dead. In fact, it's a small miracle that Fatima
herself isn't dead as well.
Nearly three weeks ago, she arrived at the U.S. hospital in
the Green Zone emaciated and dangerously close to death. Lt.
Hattie McDowell gave the underweight, weak little girl her
first bath.
"When she first got here, she was so skinny. Her arms and
legs were just bones, and we could see her ribs," she
tells CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan.
Fatima's life was saved by her 7-year-old brother, who led
Iraqi and U.S. soldiers to their home, where they discovered
her mother and uncle had been shot at close range to the head.
Fatima lay helpless and dying in the sweltering sun.
Lt. Eric Laflin of the 1st Infantry Division, who Logan
managed to reach by phone at a combat outpost, described his
horror at the scene.
"Personally, this is one of the hardest things I've
seen," he said. "I've been in Iraq 12 months now.
I've seen a lot of things, but this is one of the worst."
With constant love and attention from the hospital staff,
Fatima has already put on three pounds and is doing much
better, for now.
It's been nearly three weeks and no one has visited little
Fatima except for the soldiers who rescued her. The hospital
staff members know she can't stay here forever, and they're
desperately worried about her future. |
Today's pictures are of the swords kids. This area has got a great deal more respect for me now and are very appreciative when I
come. Pictures include: Two Group pictures of me with some of the kids.
Boy showing SPC Lullen some of his soccer moves. Older boys poses with
younger sibling on "The Bike". Group of boys show me their dog.
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 15
Aug.
Hello Everyone:
Busy as usual. Enjoy the pictures. More to come tomorrow.
Sorry so
short.
Pictures today: Sarah trying to lift her and her sister's bags filled
with school items. Little girl giving the thumbs up.
Nearly ran over some sheep (Iraqi tomb of the unknown soldier in the background).
Loading up the truck with pallets (I got 15 that day .... 3 trips to get
them all .... a good days work).
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 16 Aug.
Hello Everyone:
The cookie sales and soccer games went well for the Iraqi scouts.
I was able to play soccer and help with the sales. I finally was able to clear
out the boxes of girl scout cookies I had (I did keep a few for the staff to munch on). I took a lot of pictures of the scouts and will try
to send some out tomorrow.
I have been receiving a lot of packages lately. I am going to have to
work a little bit extra to get some of this stuff moved next week.
I am hoping I will be able to make some school bags and humanitarian bags
tomorrow after work. It took awhile to pack last time (I try to make
sure all the bags are fair and equal) but it is so easy to pass out and worth the effort.
My Darth Vader costume arrived today! It is awesome!
I mean really awesome!!! I haven't put it on yet.
I get so dirty at work (dust from all the boxes I move around) or drenched in sweat that I don't want to
defile it. Tomorrow should be a light day and I hope to try it on then.
I was going to try to bring it to the cookie sale but had no room with all the cookies I was haulin.
I am sure there will be another opportunity.
Take care everyone. I have to go and eat before they close.
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 17 Aug.
Hello Everyone,
I am sending pictures from this last week starting with TUE. On TUE, the older girl scouts had a cookie sale.
Pictures to follow will have pictures of the boy scouts getting soccer uniforms and playing a
game on THU. I also have pictures of the younger girl scouts selling
cookies on THU. These pictures will follow as I can't send them all
without filling up peoples servers. The next batch of pictures will be
on MON.
Today's pictures: Iraqi Girl Scouts arranging beanie babies I dropped off to them at their cookie sales at the Palace.
Picture of me standing by one of the girl scouts (Wala). Two older girl scouts and a boy scout
selling cookies (some do not have their uniforms yet). Me with the Darth
Vader suit (I have yet to put it on). A little boy with a bag of toys at
the hospital.
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 18 Aug.
Hello Everyone:
This last Thursday. the younger boy Scouts came to play some soccer. We had soccer uniforms, balls, socks and cleats for the boys too.
They were amazed. They are also pretty good out on the field.
All we need now is some grass.
Today's pictures: Young Scout juggles soccer ball. Two boys amazed at
the selection of soccer cleats. Boy Scouts show their skills on the
soccer field.
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
APO AE 09348
|
|
Subject: Hello from Iraq 22 Aug.
Hello Everyone:
Sorry I haven't written in a bit. I've been busy but in a good way.
I have finally gotten pretty well overstocked on a lot of my surgical items and caught up on all my orders.
The next CSH coming here will have it pretty good by the time they get here.
I know I am here until at least early November, but I have started to mail some of my things home.
We are also shipping our personal chests to Ft. Bragg at the end of the month.
They should hopefully be there by the time we get to Ft. Bragg, NC.
Feels good to be about 3 months from home.
I am also proud to announce that my older son, Christopher, has joined the Army.
I was actually surprised that he decided to do it knowing what kind of life it is (having grown up with dual military
parents). My wife and I did not pressure him either way and though we
would have liked to see him go through college first, we respect his decision and are proud that he has chosen to serve his country.
When he told the recruiters he wanted to go infantry, I know my wife was going
to die. After he took his ASVAB test, he did so well that he could pick
just about any enlisted job he wanted. He chose human intelligence
gathering which will later give him an opportunity to go into Counter Intelligence.
My wife tells me he is pretty excited and he will go to Basic Training when he graduates H.S. next year.
He definitely has grown up fast on me.
Today's pictures: Sara riding the bike in her neighborhood. Me with a couple of the swords kids.
Young man pausing his bike ride for a picture. The younger Iraqi girl scouts at the cookie sale holding a US
Girl Scout flag that was sent to me (the younger girls have not gotten their uniforms yet).
Also, just a friendly reminder, Please do not send anything after the 22nd of September.
They will be rerouting mail in OCT and are discouraging us from having anything sent in that time frame.
I should be all wrapped up in my projects by OCT. I will continue to send
pictures and updates till the end of my tour here. I have no urgency for
anything. I have a ton of clothes boxes I have to go through this week
(about 30) and I also have a bunch (about 20) school supply boxes to go through.
I think I will be able to make another 80 school bags for kids.
I feel bad for my wife. The school had a program where she could pay
them to get all the supplies for our kids for school. She paid them and
thought she was good. The check she gave them eluded them and somehow
stayed in the box. The school called her a couple days ago and told her
that they found her check but it was too late to get the supplies.
My wife then had to run to the stores to find school items the week before
school. She had fun (not really). She told me of some of the things she
could not find. It was funny to me that items she was missing, I have a
ton of them here. She finally got the rest of the stuff and gets to bring it
to the school and meet the teachers on FRI.
Well, I got to get back to work, thanks again for all your support and
God Bless you all.
Thank You,
SSG Victor J. Settles
Task Force North
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH)
APO AE 09348
|
|
Prayer Wheel for our Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Coastguard, and Airmen..
'Dear Heavenly Father,
Hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless
acts they perform for us in our time of need.'
|
|
