There is absolutely nothing more terrifying thatn to try to evacuate injured soldiers or civilians out of harm's way, especially in a war zone, with rockets, bullets, or mortars going off or flying overhead.

I am a medic for the U.S. army.  Have been one since I joined the military a little over four years ago; it's a miracle I've managed to survive without getting hit or seriously injured in the process.

I've seen some of the worst things imaginable during my job: faces nearly blown off, limbs ripped off of bodies, brains or guts spilling out onto the desert sand, people bleeding out, and even people who were expected to make it take a sudden turn for the worse and slip from this life to the next.

Let me tell you something: war is hell for anybody who has to experience it; once you see sights like the ones I have witnessed, well, there are ingrained into your mind forever and ever.  You never get over it.

I went into the army a girl: I emerged a woman.  An emotionally battered, broken woman.

I have nightmares even now, although I try to do the job required of me to the best of my ability.  People tell me I look like an old woman: they see the hurt and fear in my eyes.  They know what I have seen has truly affected me in more ways than one.

They (the Army) is thinking of discharging me.  I cringe at the thought, but I know it might be necessary, seeing that I am so psychologically messed up.  It is a Catch-22 situation that I cannot escape from.

~To be continued!~