A couple of days ago, we were notified that there was to be a high level Afghan Official coming to visit and we needed to provide a crowd of a few thousand. In the military, we call that a Rent-A Crowd. I needed to get up a Rent-A-Crowd for Hillary Clinton in Japan once- it was a challenge. Sometimes, we get volunteers, other times, we just have to tell people to go. Not sure if we had any difficulty with this one, but it was scheduled for last night at about 1130PM. I thought that was an odd time, but I figured, it’s their country. I suppose they can send an official whatever time they want. I also thought it might have something to do with security since we were also not allowed to bring any weapons with us, not even the knives that most of carry for personal protection. I thought that was weird as well, because we are all required to be armed at all times and face severe disciplinary action if we aren’t. But again, I figured, it’s their country. Then we were due to have a Purple Heart ceremony last night at about 7PM. They usually occur between 6 and 7PM because that’s when the Generals are free to come over and do it. Then that got cancelled at the last minute. Word was that the President was coming and he might want to do them. Turns out, he was the “Afghan official” the Rent-A-Crowd was for.
I stayed at work until about 830PM, and did not hear anything else about the visit. Then I went back to my room and did some work on the computer. I turned the lights out at about 1030PM and left my contacts in, figuring I’d get woken up in about an hour to come to the hospital for the Rent-A-Crowd that was sure to be needed there if the President were coming. I was awakened at 0230 by my pager telling me a rocket had just been launched over the F-15s. I got dressed and put on my IBA, helmet and weapon and then went in to work. This is where it gets interesting.
Apparently, it was not such a big secret that the President was here. It was all over CNN, live, while he was doing his speech to the troops. Then he came over to the hospital. He was met by the top leadership and then all but the commander were dismissed. Secret Service made everyone who was not actually needed to work with patients leave. Some doctors really wanted to see him, so they crowded around the doctor’s work room and other places, trying to take pictures and then were told by the Secret Service to leave there. One got very angry because he thought he deserved to be greeted by the President for all the hard work he had done here.
The President went to the ICU and saw a soldier who was doing relatively well and did the Purple Heart Ceremony. Then he went where the sickest wounded are. There he spoke briefly with a soldier, then turned to leave and had to be reminded that he had not given him his Purple Heart. So he did. There was one other soldier there that was due to be decorated. He was a high double amputee with a large abdominal wound that had packing in it- basically an unconscious torso with a severe abdominal wound. The President apparently looked very uncomfortable, but he went over to that soldier and pinned a Purple Heart on him as well, and he said some words to him, even though he was unconscious. I’m told that he seemed uneasy the entire time he was on the ward.
Then he left.
Sometime around his take-off, the rocket was launched and landed near the F-15s. I’m not sure where that was in relation to where Air Force One was at the time.
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