War stories excerpt

Lieutenant Colonel Paul D. Danielson

Danielson, 40, of Holden, who served in Iraq in 2003 with the 912th Forward Surgical Team, chronicled a successful operation to save the arm of a wounded major:

"The game was on and everything else was secondary. I became focused on the operation and lost touch with much of what was going on around me. . . . I sewed in the bypass and removed the clamps. The patient's hand immediately pinked up, and the distal side of the wound started to ooze blood. I rested the pad of my gloved index finger on the shiny segment of the vein and felt the thrill of blood coursing through . . . The repair was working. It was a moment to savor. . . . Over the next few days we tried to figure out what happened to the major and his arm. Unfortunately, because casualties were evacuated out of the country so rapidly, the answer eluded us. In some ways, it was better not to know."

Commander Kathleen Toomey Jabs

Jabs, 40, formerly of Milton, serves in the US Navy Reserve and wrote a short story, based on her experiences.

"The refrain 'Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies' flashed through her mind. She had told Tommy only the barest facts about an important Navy job Mommy needed to do, and all disguised in a story about a wonderful visit to Nana and Grampa. It was the same thing the Navy was doing with her. Who knew what anyone really believed; nothing was happening as expected, but the orders were valid and needed to be obeyed. At some level she believed the stories and all the talk saved you; you had to fall back on them or you would go mad."

source: "Operation Homecoming"