snoopy911 Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Ugh. Just the thought, grosses me out. Specially with my experience with it last week. I hadn't encountered anybody so far at work that chewed. But at my new job (must be a maryland thing lol), my partner and I were standing outside and he was dipping. And when he spit he wasn't paying attention and spit on my boot. I was NOT a happy camper! And yes when we got to the ER to pick up the patient, I made him clean my boot. There will be no more of that in my truck! I am getting the "heebie jeebies" just thinking about it. Good thing we had a call, cause I might have killed him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc D Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 (edited) DOC D, I almost 18 years in uniform, so I think I know of what I speak. I would same some Soldiers dip, chew,or smoke. "Most" implies a majority and in my experience the number was never a majority and is shinking day by day. I cant speak for the whole Army, but i can speak for the 101st Airborne. We lead the military in Suicides and AWOLS. Nothing to be proud of, but the Department of the Army has the whole division deploying back to back at all times. We all smoke or chew, i have actually never in my life seen as many tobacco users since coming to Ft.Campbell. Dont get me wrong, there are millions of movies and stuff about us, and we fight hard. Death before dismount, we get the job done...but there are consequences of it also. Have you been back to Gernmantown recently? You'd be amazed at how much it has grown... they have a new station too, 22 that's brand spankin new and really nice at 118 and Clopper Road. I was there last christmas, but i was chilling at my spots, Around Seneca Valley (i went there), Fox Chapel, Rolling Hills, the neighborhoods around Reburto Clemente etc.. etc.. Theres the New Shady Grove mini ER by Crystal Rock and stuff. But some things never change, Montgomery County Police are still assholes and will beat your ass for no reason. They tried to arrest me, what for i dont know....but my military ID got them to fuck off. Oh btw. I have an EMT-B, but i am not an EMT. Dont call me one. EMT's only come out with BSI and when the scene is safe. We run out with bullets flying, and dont give a fuck about BSI.Its about a soldiers life, sending a father home to his children, sending a husband home to his wife, sending a son back to his parents. We conserve the fighting forces of this country. We supress enemy fire, its our first priority. Its insulting to call a combat medic an EMT. Thats an insult senior medics will use to call younger medics at times. Please dont call me an EMT. I appreciate all of you for what you do, its a tough job. Long hours, legalities, protocols, etc... but we are very different. We are a seperate breed of EMS. Edited June 5, 2010 by Doc D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eydawn Posted June 5, 2010 Popular Post Share Posted June 5, 2010 I was with your train of thought, bro (because I know Airborne thinking patterns) until this last bit. Here, I think you dropped the ball, and you're going to catch a LOT of flack for it(not just from me, either I bet.) Oh btw. I have an EMT-B, but i am not an EMT. Dont call me one. EMT's only come out with BSI and when the scene is safe. We run out with bullets flying, and dont give a fuck about BSI. OK, I get the whole "balls to the walls" hero mentality... and I understand that combat medicine involves treating while under fire. WTF is wrong with you that you don't take the 15 seconds to protect yourself? How about popping a pair of nitriles on under your tactical gloves, so that you don't increase your chances of exposure to bloodborne pathogens? I know there's not always time to stop, put on gloves, etc... but you can prep yourself as your unit's medic. Lead by example, dude... you're smart enough to wear a condom, right? This is no different. You wanna die of hepatitis? Nasty way to go... and the thought of going to the VA for care for that for the rest of whatever life you've got is scary indeed. Its about a soldiers life, sending a father home to his children, sending a husband home to his wife, sending a son back to his parents. We conserve the fighting forces of this country. We supress enemy fire, its our first priority. Way to disrespect the SISTERS AND MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS who are fighting just as hard as you are. I dig that there's no chicks in the Airborne, and there's not as many women on the front... but there are women in intelligence and support and medical who are just as vital to the operation of the military as you are. One of my acquaintances just graduated boot and is on contract to be in an aeromedical drop unit. Your first phrase, "it's about a soldier's life" is absolutely spot on. The rest is realllly narrow thinking. Get your head out of your ass. Just because your unit is a bunch of hopped up male adrenaline plane-jumpers doesn't mean that you wholly represent the entirety of the armed forces. Its insulting to call a combat medic an EMT. Thats an insult senior medics will use to call younger medics at times. Please dont call me an EMT. I appreciate all of you for what you do, its a tough job. Long hours, legalities, protocols, etc... but we are very different. We are a seperate breed of EMS. No, it's not, from our perspective. We're looking at your education and understanding of medicine, not your setting. I understand that "medic" is a near and dear term to you where you are. It's a badge of honor. Medic means something different in the military- it means "the nearest dude who can maybe plug my bullet holes" and I get that this is different from civvy EMS. But you're on a civilian forum, discussing *medicine* with a group of people who are mostly civilian with some former military and reserve mixed in. We appreciate YOU for what YOU do... don't piss on us and get all touchy because we refer to your actual civilian EMT level. You are indeed a separate breed of EMS, but when it comes down to it you're an EMT-B with some EMT-I skills and less education than nearly any paramedic on this forum. Have some respect for yourself. Step back and try to think outside your military box for a little bit. If you don't protect yourself with something as simple as gloves and don't recognize that you are speaking from a viewpoint that many of us will never be able to fully understand, you're just going to piss people off here. Have you ever stopped to wonder WHY 101st Airborne has such high suicide and mental illness rates? Couldn't have anything to do with the mentality and culture of the unit, could it? Sure, you're getting exposed to gnarly shit... but I bet the special ops folks have a lot more skeletons than you, and for some reason they don't seem to have as many issues proportionally speaking when they get out of the service. Just food for thought. Stay safe out there. Wendy CO EMT-B 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Star Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 I cant speak for the whole Army, but i can speak for the 101st Airborne. We lead the military in Suicides and AWOLS. Nothing to be proud of, but the Department of the Army has the whole division deploying back to back at all times. We all smoke or chew, i have actually never in my life seen as many tobacco users since coming to Ft.Campbell. Dont get me wrong, there are millions of movies and stuff about us, and we fight hard. Death before dismount, we get the job done...but there are consequences of it also. Oh btw. I have an EMT-B, but i am not an EMT. Dont call me one. EMT's only come out with BSI and when the scene is safe. We run out with bullets flying, and dont give a fuck about BSI.Its about a soldiers life, sending a father home to his children, sending a husband home to his wife, sending a son back to his parents. We conserve the fighting forces of this country. We supress enemy fire, its our first priority. Its insulting to call a combat medic an EMT. Thats an insult senior medics will use to call younger medics at times. Please dont call me an EMT. I appreciate all of you for what you do, its a tough job. Long hours, legalities, protocols, etc... but we are very different. We are a seperate breed of EMS. I've heard some ignorant statements before, but this one has to take the cake! Yeah, you work under hazardous fire conditions, and 'battlefield medicine' is a separate breed from what we do on the streets (unless you're a tactical medic or just happen to work in places like Detroit), but to KNOW about bloodborne pathogens and still WILLINGLY risk exposure is pure insanity! You already know that there are things out there that even Ajax wont f*ck with, and yet you risk not only contaminating your buddies, and yourself....but everyone you come in contact with! Your 'ten foot tall and bulletproof' mentality all but seals your fate of contracting and spreading the next 'evil thing' out there! O.K., so you're 101st Airborne, congratulations. But as another vet with 'combat time' (one of a long list), I'm not going to fall down, kiss your boots, and acknowledge your 'god status'! Since you've 'got your EMT-B'...guess what? Like it or not, you ARE an EMT! Live with it! Just because you're part of a unit with a long and storied past doesn't mean that the rules of nature will skip you out of respect. It don't work that way. Ultimately, it's not about the title; it's about trying to save lives (albeit in different arenas) and trying to do it as SAFELY as possible! If being called an EMT is such an 'insult'...then WHY do you do it? Don't try to fool yourself and bullshit the rest of us...you ARE doing an 'EMT job' even on the battlefield! What I find really amusing is I've worked and gone to school with guys from the 3rdI.D., (who have been deployed to the Gulf region as much if not more than the 101st, and they don't seem to have that screwed up mentality. That testosterone fueled macho attitude may fly within your unit, and on post; but it's not buying you alot of friends here.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tskstorm Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Not only is it time to let the thread die, its just time to let doc d post whatever he wants and for the rest of us to ignore him till he is bored and moves on. His nonsense is unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc D Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 (edited) Way to disrespect the SISTERS AND MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS who are fighting just as hard as you are. I dig that there's no chicks in the Airborne, and there's not as many women on the front... but there are women in intelligence and support and medical who are just as vital to the operation of the military as you are. One of my acquaintances just graduated boot and is on contract to be in an aeromedical drop unit. Your first phrase, "it's about a soldier's life" is absolutely spot on. The rest is realllly narrow thinking. Get your head out of your ass. Just because your unit is a bunch of hopped up male adrenaline plane-jumpers doesn't mean that you wholly represent the entirety of the armed forces. Im a line medic in an infantry unit. All infantry is males. All combat jobs, Infantry, Cavalry Scout, Tanker, Artillary, Forward Observers are males. I work with males. Sure females work all the POG jobs, Females are vital to the Army. I dont work with them, they dont go on the front in most cases. Therefore I dont send sisters mothers and daughters anywhere, aside from out of my room in the morning.(Thats a joke). Also, BSI is cool and all if your giving your drunk battle buddies IV's, but in the battle field if someone is bleeding arterially, or has other life threatening injuries im not going to waste my time putting gloves on, every second counts. I also know thaat soldiers cant deploy with viral STD's, HIV, Hepatitis and whatnot. Edited June 5, 2010 by Doc D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eydawn Posted June 6, 2010 Popular Post Share Posted June 6, 2010 Im a line medic in an infantry unit. All infantry is males. All combat jobs, Infantry, Cavalry Scout, Tanker, Artillary, Forward Observers are males. I work with males. Sure females work all the POG jobs, Females are vital to the Army. I dont work with them, they dont go on the front in most cases. Therefore I dont send sisters mothers and daughters anywhere, aside from out of my room in the morning.(Thats a joke). Also, BSI is cool and all if your giving your drunk battle buddies IV's, but in the battle field if someone is bleeding arterially, or has other life threatening injuries im not going to waste my time putting gloves on, every second counts. I also know thaat soldiers cant deploy with viral STD's, HIV, Hepatitis and whatnot. Why would you bother with gloves for an IV if you're not going to bother with them when they *really* count? And sure, you're not supposed to deploy with known HIV/Hepatitis, etc... so, it's totally unheard of for someone to catch it after they're screened, right? Ignorant... Mm. You had potential here... shame. I'm done... Wendy CO EMT-B 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tskstorm Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Why would you bother with gloves for an IV if you're not going to bother with them when they *really* count? And sure, you're not supposed to deploy with known HIV/Hepatitis, etc... so, it's totally unheard of for someone to catch it after they're screened, right? Ignorant... Mm. You had potential here... shame. I'm done... Wendy CO EMT-B Finally someone else on board with me about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard B the EMT Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Doc D, just reminding you that in some firefights, there can be no discernable "Front Line" for female members of the US Military to not be at. <H3>Army Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa Died March 23, 2003 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom 23, of Tuba City, Ariz.; assigned to 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas; killed in an ambush near Nasiriyah, Iraq. Pfc. Lori Piestewa was the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and the granddaughter of a World War I veteran. She was a source of pride for Tuba City, Ariz., a town of 8,200 people on the Navajo Reservation but close to Hopi land. Piestewa, a single mother raising a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl, enlisted in the Army two years ago and had served as a commanding officer of Junior ROTC in high school. "She will be remembered as a daughter, as a proud mother of two, as a good friend able to comfort others in distress," said Hopi Tribal Chairman Wayne Taylor. </H3> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc D Posted June 6, 2010 Author Share Posted June 6, 2010 (edited) Doc D, just reminding you that in some firefights, there can be no discernable "Front Line" for female members of the US Military to not be at. </H3> Again your not understanding me. I know females get into fire fights and whatnot, but i am assigned to an infantry platoon of all males. I go out with them. No females in the infantry. Im not saying females dont fight, but i dont treat females because of the type of unit i am in. I go one patrols and missions and whatnot with the infantry. I am a line medic. The females are in support battalions and HHC companies, which have their own medics. Im not saying i NEVER will treat a female, but i am in infantry. Support and HHC have their own missions and their own medics. I am an EMT-B i know BSI is before everything as an EMT, but as a combat medic in the US Army its not too big of a deal. I know it sounds terrible to you guys because its drilled into you as an EMT. Its really different here. I wear gloves in garrison, dont get me wrong. But down there, you dont always have the time todo so. BSI is always good, dont get me wrong. My life and welfare is precious to me, but as a combat medic BSI is preffered but its accepted you wont always have time to get it on. Even in my civilian clothes i always have a pair of gloves in my pocket...but its just different here in the Army. I know its tough and it sounds outrageos to you all i can tell...but its about another persons life, not mine. Someone mentioned just wearing gloves when going into combat........i cant do that. Gloves let the enemy know i am a medic and they will shoot at me first. There arent enough combat medics in the army. I appreciate what all of you guys do. I am a different kind of EMS Edited June 6, 2010 by Doc D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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