Coming Full Circle
Air Force nurse who helped save Bob Woodruff’s life presents Hero of Military Medicine Award
Among those honored recently at the 2015 Heroes of Military Medicine Awards were Bob and Lee Woodruff, cofounders of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, for raising awareness and funding for programs supporting post-9/11 injured service members, veterans and their families. The awards were hosted by the The Center for Public-Private Partnerships at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. One of the presenters, Lt. Col. Debra Muhl, RN, USAF (Ret), was among the first to care for Bob when he was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, while reporting for ABC News. These are the remarks she delivered at the ceremony.
In December, 2005 I learned that come the New Year I would be deploying to Balad Air Field, Iraq. At this point in my military career as a Registered Nurse I had served at many overseas locations. The upcoming deployment to Iraq, I thought, would be familiar duty. I couldn't have been more incorrect.
On Sunday, Jan. 29, 2006, I was on duty as the Surgical Services Section Chief, Intra-theater Hospital at Balad Air Field, Iraq. The day started out like most others, the surgeons and staff had already cared for several surgical patients. Most of those patients had undergone follow up procedures from injuries previously sustained.
It was early afternoon and the department was quiet. Nurses were busy restocking the 3 O.R.s, Surgical Technicians were wrapping and sterilizing instruments and I remember hearing their chatter and laughter as they worked.
Suddenly there was the blast of the hospital speakers …
“Trauma Call ER, incoming wounded, ETA 15 minutes. Lab, X-Ray, Pharmacy, Anesthesia and Surgery respond, Trauma Call, ER.”
As I sprinted the 100 steps from the OR to the ER, the speakers brought more information about the incoming wounded.
“Two very seriously injured, 1 head injury.”
Quickly turning around I ran back to the OR — the staff was eager to learn information about the incoming patients.
“We've got a ‘head’ coming in, get a crani set up fast.”
Next I heard the unmistakable “whomp-whomp” of the rotor blades from a Black Hawk helicopter, the sound was getting louder, closer … our patients were already here. Again, I returned to the OR announcing, “they're here, they're here!!”
In my memory I can see the double wooden doors which were the entrance to our tent hospital at Balad. Then in an instant those ER doors burst open and coming through on a green canvas litter was our “head” patient.
Two burly medics carried the litter, one of them shouting the patient’s vital signs and injuries as he knew them. Many of us were trying to get a name or a number, anything to ID this patient.
Someone in the ER said, “It’s Bob Woodward!”
Looking in to the face of the man who would soon be MY patient in surgery, I remember saying to no one in particular,
“That’s not Bob Woodward, it’s Bob Woodruff!”
Within moments Bob’s litter was transported, with great urgency, the 100 steps toward the OR.
In OR #1, Balad hospital’s largest, Bob’s surgical team was ready for him; 2 neurosurgeons, 2 anesthesiologists, 3 scrub technicians and me, his circulating nurse.
Many providers quickly positioned and secured Bob on the OR table. Besides being accountable for all of the preoperative documentation, I also owned the responsibility of prepping (cleansing) his surgical site.
The OR was a-buzz with numerous conversations … anesthesiologists to laboratory personnel; surgeon’s vocalizing their operative sequence to the OR Techs; the techs checking and verifying their instrumentation with each other. It was an extremely noisy room.
I was one of the few not talking so I leaned down to Bob’s ear trying to speak over the activity in the room,
“Bob, this is Deb, I'm your nurse. You need to know we're all here for you, but need you to ‘hang in there.’ We're going to take very good care of you, but you need to stay with us.”
Well, Bob, you definitely hung in there — and with my whole heart, I thank you for doing so.
However, what’s more important than how I feel, is how you and Lee, through the Bob Woodruff Foundation, have made over 2 million service members, veterans and caregivers feel …. and that is not forgotten.
More than 52,000 American service members have been wounded in combat since 9/11. The Bob Woodruff Foundation salutes all of the military doctors, nurses, medics and corpsmen who have risked their own safety to save the lives of our men and women in uniform. We offer special thanks to Lt. Col Debra Muhl for allowing us to share her remarks.
You can watch the entire presentation, including Bob and Lee’s acceptance here:
