Military Medics are so often the unsung heroes. We back here in the warmth of our livingrooms do not always understand that a part of these nurses and doctors heart goes with each one of the men and women they tend to. They truly see the person not just another body. I have been blessed to speak with the medical staff that worked on my son and be able to thank them personally for all they did for him that fateful day two years ago. I hope that my words gave them some peace. God knows they deserve the gratitude and support of all of us as much as those in combat. They do incredible work saving lives under the harshest conditions.

Take Luck

Thanks for posting this photo.

they are angels among us.

Good for Fox for printing this photo....I don't know what you think Mike....but this is a hell of a way to fight a war....especial ly when we have better ways to stop this whole Islamic movement from spreading their filthy religion of hate all over the world. God save our very good men and those of our allies from this evil enemy and from politicians using them for political reasons. This is a picture of real love....the love displayed over and over again by our fighting men...laying down their lives, sacrificing themselves, for each other and sometimes even for the enemy that hates them. Oh that we all had the backbone, the courage and the heart of these men. Keep doing the great work of showing us the real treasure we have in our Military and also for exposing our own insufficiency in supporting them. May we all this day take a stand for freedom here at home and determine in our hearts to do all we can to stand fast behind our men. A picture does say more than a thousand words can. And one brave man is worth at least ten thousand cowards. May your work wake the sleeping, energize the lazy...and inspire all of us to action. Thank you Mike. Our thoughts, our prayers are with you all.....and hopefully you will get the support you need and deserve from the bounties of our wealth as well as will these wounded wonderful Military men. Thanks again.

I am so proud of medics, the military, and you.
Thank you for everything.

I have been a long time reader of your blog (since 2003), yet this is my 1st comment. My prayers are out to our men and women who are serving in Iraq and especially in Afghanistan.

I am eagerly waiting your blog on the Operation Together.

God bless.

Having served as a medic with the 4th Inf Div and 498th Dust Off in the Central Highlands in Viiet Nam, I can relate and am so proud of our Service Members. Thank you for your e-mails informing us as to the reality in which our Soldier's have to endure and sacrafice for our freedom. So many in the U.S. are uneducated to the realities of the cost of freedom a take so much for granted. God Bless You.

v/r
danny

Thank you for your photo and commentary to update us on what is happening. God richly bless you and keep you safe. God bless our troops to keep them safe and give them discernment to capture the enemy.

What brave men & women we have serving. We owe an incalculable debt to them, and they're truly the best of who we are.

Michael, you've done it again- this is a stunning photograph. Unforgettable. I'm a photographer, and I've watched as you get better and better...

Gatekeeper - the fact the MSM here in the US fails to acknowledge the efforts of our coalition allies (and our own troops, for that matter) doesn't mean the American people don't have your forces in our prayers. They definitely are.

And Micheal - keep up the great work. I'm proud to carry your online magazine on my Blog Roll.

As and infantry man from Viet Nam One our most valuable resource was our Platoon Medic, we protected him at all costs. God Bless everyone of them

The pix is inspirational, to say the very least. I'm so damned proud of our fighting men and women and those who so selflessly support them in the field. You're right, Mike. Compared to Iraq coverage, Afghanistan is nearly incidental back home. Of course, were Bush still the Commander-in-Ch ief, of course the Dems would be piling on daily and drawing much more attention--most ly negative--to that theater. I guess that's the one upside to the Left's takeover in DC. No whining and MOnday morning quarterbacking as in Iraq. Please keep up the great work. And keep your head down when possible.

As a Canadian I was very moved by the photo. Between all the obvious technology just in front of him, and the personal very human care by the nurse, I'm comforted that everything that can be done is being done for him and that he'll be home soon. God Bless all the soldiers/aircre w/medical personnel of the USAF and all US forces for extending their mission to their allies.

This is a very moving photo and if it wasn't for you, Mike, what would we know or understand? Our thoughts and hearts are with you and with all the troops no matter what country they might call a home.

If you are near FOB Airborne, say hello to a fellow Floridian, my son Sgt Phil Curtis. 173rd Airborne / 1/503 A Co. he's on his thrid tour, his second one in Afghanistan.

As always your nitty gritty down to earth view of the war is much valued by us here in the US, especially those of us with loved ones in harms way.

Keep up the good work,

Michael,
A picture is worth a thousand words. Our medics, our medics, our soldiers, our soldiers....... .our Valentines, our angels, our protectors. I sent the link for this dispatch to the Canada Free Press. I hope they put it on their front page. I'm sure they must ask your permission and I hope you allow it. God Bless you and all of our Forever Valentines.

Well done, Major Lehker, well done.

God bless you, Major Lehker. You and your colleagues are angels of mercy. My son is a Marine - been to Iraq but not Afghanistan yet - and I can't tell you what it means to a military mother to see this picture. Thank you so much, on behalf of all of us. It's comforting to know there are people like you over there looking after our precious sons and daughters. My son has the greatest respect for the corpsmen, nurses, and other medical personnel.

This photo and caption moved me deeply. I forwarded it to a friend of mine who is currently an Instructor at West Point. He emailed me back that he plans to show it to his Cadets.

Dear Michael,
Reading the comment from MSgt Sheets is very moving and shows respect, care and diligence you put into your reporting. Not only that but the fantastic support that the guys on the frontline are receiving from us the general public. Keep safe... God bless all those involved in this operation.
Tara

May God bless our precious men and women in uniform. May God continue to bless America.

To our Blessed Michael ("Blessed" being the 1st step to Sainthood, but what do I know; I'm a Lutheran)

What we are seeing iin your picture of the airborne nurse and her patient is a member of that glorious profession holding a small light with her l hand (not seen) and raising the soldier's l upper eyelid with her r thumb (not seen) to ascertain the reactivity of his left pupil to light to determine his level of consciousness. And yes, she is engaged as you probably observed in encouraging her patient with soft and cheerful words to hang in there with her - this latter effort being even more important than her efforts to determine a level of consciousness. athis method still competes as a test despite the millions of dollars worth of intrumentation behind her and scattered about on that plane.

In comment: from our military's efforts in Iraq we have learned 3 things enhancing the forward march of medicine for today's world - this according to lectures given by the Medical Officer in Charge (in Iraq) at the National Defense University at Ft. Myers,VA in '09 : 1) the current efforts to overcome "battle fatigue" are showing great promise, 2) the efforts to promote regional anesthesia in conjunction with other less potentially lethal sedation (learned by said chief from medical missionaries in the mountains outside Jibouti and thence emulated subsequently in Iraq) also leads to decreased mortality, and 3) for the worst battle injuries military transport, in conjunction with the finest modern medical equipment, when placed in use by today's finest trained nurses, can get those patients from anywhere in the world to the finest target hoepitals in the world (think Ft. Sam in San Antonio,TX) in less than 36 hours. This is the usual time it takes to get the patient in the best condition possible for surgery. Which means that the militery transport, and the state-of-the-ar t equipment in the hands of the woman whose picture you've shown us, all will more often than not enhance or at least equal the cnances for survival that her patient has with the best of care he can get oaverseas. And of course when you throw in the importance of the patient's family - that makes any comparison unfair. Once again - what a great picture!! Thanks!

As a father of young children who may some day face danger in their Nation's service, I thank God each night for you, MAJ Lehker and every servicemember who holds our precious children, fathers, mothers, spouses, friends and loved ones in their hands. You truly are God's agents and I thank you for doing our job of protecting and comforting those we love.

USAF C-17 configured as Aeromedevac Aircraft; $25 Million Dollars
State-Of-The-Art Life Saving Medical Technology; 1 Million Dollars
Human Touch from a dedicated USAF Nurse; PRICELESS

U.S. curtails use of airstrikes in assault on Marja

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

MARJA, AFGHANISTAN — To the Marines of Bravo Company, the black-and-white video footage from a surveillance drone seemed to present the perfect shot: more than a dozen armed insurgents exiting a building and heading to positions to attack U.S. and Afghan forces seeking to wrest control of this Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan.

Facing stiff resistance from Taliban fighters, the Marines radioed for permission to call in an airstrike on the insurgents at midday Monday. It appeared to be the sort of clear opportunity that would have prompted a rapidly executed bombing run during the Iraq war, or even in the first seven years of this conflict.

But not anymore: Officers at the Marine headquarters deemed the insurgents to be too close to a set of houses. In the new way the United States and its NATO allies are waging the Afghan war, dropping a bomb on or near a house is forbidden unless troops are in imminent danger of being overrun, or they can prove that no civilians are inside.

The rejection of Bravo’s airstrike illuminates the challenges and complexity of waging a counterinsurgen cy mission that aims to protect Afghan civilians, while battling militants who appear determined to stand and fight for control of this farming district…

"It seemed like a good target to us," Capt. Ryan Sparks, the commander of Bravo Company, which is part of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment, said of the strike rejected by Marine headquarters on Monday. "We didn’t see any civilians around."

Not seeing any civilians on a video feed from a drone or through one’s rifle scope is no longer enough. Under a tactical directive McChrystal issued last summer, troops must verify that there are no civilians inside a house by watching it for at least 72 hours to establish a "pattern of life" before an airstrike will be authorized..

Some Marine commanders contend that insurgents in Marja understand what is now out of bounds and are using those bright lines to their advantage. Earlier Monday, the Marines from Bravo Company spotted a group of women and children carrying bundles, which they suspected to be weapons, to a safe house. Later on, the Marines said they saw a band of armed men darting in and out of a mosque, which is off-limits for bombing.

"It’s a frustration and a challenge," said Bravo’s battalion commander, Lt. Col. Cal Worth. "The enemy has read the tactical directive and he understands it. He knows our rules of engagement."

The Marines did not want to strike at the women and children, nor did they want to hit the mosque. But they reasoned that striking the fighters in the open, even if there might be some damage to homes, would ultimately be better — and safer — than fighting house-to-house to flush out the insurgents.

"Now we’re going to have to clear the compounds one by one, and that increases the risk, potentially even to civilians in the area," Worth said…

Even so, he said he understands McChrystal’s reasoning. "A professional fighting force need to assume the preponderance of risk," he said. "That’s the way it should be in a counterinsurgen cy."

After arriving by helicopters early Saturday, Bravo Company has largely been holed up in a mud-and-brick compound, located in the central bazaar area, that had been used as a drug-processing and bomb-manufactur ing facility.

Although the Marines have set up heavy machine guns on the roof and guard posts along the street, they are shot at by insurgents multiple times a day. Usually it is just bullets fired by an AK-47, but occasionally a rocket-propelle d grenade will come zipping over the wall.

"We’re fighting an offense from a defense," said Lt. Mark Greenlief, Bravo Company’s executive officer…

Mike, will you write a dispatch on this mission? I hope so!

Michael, what a great image...you've done it again! Keep up the great work! Your reporting far transcends our mainstream media and their "doom and gloom" perception of the war. This wounded soldier is a lucky man to have someone so caring watching over him. God bless!

To all the "docs" no matter the generation or the war, God bless you for what you do.

May 31st 2008 this picture could have been of my only child. I doubt these Nurses have any idea how much we appreciate what they do for our sons, husbands, brothers, sisters, daughters, wives. This loving carress from this nurse to this Hero makes my heart sing and criy at the same time. God Bless Her and the Wounded Warrior!

It is incumbent upon us, in looking back at the lives - the challenges and accomplishments - of those who came before us, who made us, who sacrificed for us, who gave us ourselves (and so much of themselves in so doing) - that we do as much good as we can in this brief flash of light, this brief existence that we ARE. If we do not, in the greater scheme of things, we are nothing. There is no life without honour, compassion, integrity, perseverance, faith, and kindness. We owe them, we owe ourselves, those we share this place and time with - and those, who with the grace of God, come after us - too much to do any less.

Thank you to our friends, all those who serve with courage, who make a difference. Thank you for your care and kindness, to Danny and all others like him.

Michael,

After reading your article, I emailed Maj Lehker to thank her. I think she might be an angel. I can't stop crying.

Thanks for the great coverage.

SMSgt Jeff Trabold, USAF

Michael,
I read your story when it first ran. As an EMEDS Instructor for the Air National Guard, I have often wondered how the training I instructed paid off in the real world. This past spring, my question was answered. I did meet and train with now LTC Lekher. She is a very consummate and quiet professional. I now know what I do does make a difference to many. Thanks for your time and thank you for letting me share.