Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq

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About Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse On The Frontline In Iraq

From Booklist Two retired navy nurses collaborate effectively in this account of the tour of duty one of them, Commander Ruff, had in Iraq, where she was the only nurse anesthetist in the combat zone. After 25 years, Ruff had thought navy nursing held few remaining surprises. She was wrong. The constant flow of casualties taxed the resources of the hospitals and their staff, and those resources suffered more than somewhat from prevailing logistical difficulties. Nor is the best of modern field medicine always equal to the wounds inflicted by modern weapons. Sometimes operating with lights attached to their helmets and gas masks over their faces because of a warning, Ruff and her colleagues, as much as they undoubtedly wished to be elsewhere, still performed up to the highest standards of a valiant corps. She vividly recalls her honorable service, literally against the pains of war. Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Product Description Twenty-five years in the Navy had made Cheryl Ruff an independent, resilient, strong woman - and a master at providing patient care while serving at various Navy hospitals around the world. But nothing prepared her mind, body, soul, and spirit for what she experienced on the frontlines of the Iraq war as a member of the Bravo Surgical Company. Known as the "devil docs," they followed directly behind the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force as they entered Iraq at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Right along with the Marines, Commander Ruff, the only female nurse anesthetist at the front, and the rest of her surgical team learned to endure the brutal conditions of the desert while regularly confronting questions of life and death. Working in temperatures well over 100 degrees in full MOP gear, Ruff and her team set up mobile hospital tents in the sand wherever needed. As Black Hawk helicopters brought in steady streams of the wounded, they found it impossible to maintain standard sterilization procedures, and clean up often amounted to just shovelling the blood-soaked sand out of the tent. During surgery they often wore lighted helmets so they could continue operating if the generator failed and donned gas masks when warnings were issued. These horrific conditions, coupled with the gruesome images of shredded bodies and the cries of wounded children, became Ruff's world. This is her story of the war, up close and personal. It is a story of sacrifice, survival, and courage, movingly written by a woman unconditionally dedicated to the life-saving mission of the United States Navy Nurse Corps. From the Publisher "It takes a great deal of courage and empathy to put into print your deepest thoughts, fears, and anxiety for your fellow man as you describe your role as a Navy Nurse Corps officer. Commander Ruff has done just that. Her vivid descriptions of combat casualty care are realistic and honest. Military women for years to come will owe her and Commander Roper a vote of thanks." -- Rear Adm. Frances Shea Buckley, NC, USN (Ret.), Director, Navy Nurse Corps, 1979- 1983 About the Author Cdr. Cheryl L. Ruff, a certified nurse anesthetist, retired from the U.S. Navy in 2003 following her final tour of duty in Iraq. She is the author of several articles published in nursing journals.Cdr. K. Sue Roper who spent twenty-one years as a Navy nurse, is the editor-in-chief of the NNCA News, the official news magazine of the Navy Nurse Corps Assocation.