Home now....

Wow! I can't believe how fast time has flow by since I returned from Afghanistan. Coming home was a blast and it presented me with another, unique set of challenges.

One of the greatest adventures in life is trying to find a sense of belonging and purpose. I think that this is desire is intrinsic to each of us and endowed in us by our creator. It is cross cultural and plays a significant role in our lives.

When I came home, I found myself frequently checking the news, watching videos of things going on in Afghanistan. Up until the final day prior to leaving there was still question whether or not my team of physicians was going to get "extended" and sent down to Marjah to support that offensive. There is a part of me that even today wants to be back there and feel the rush of adrenaline as a trauma roles through the door. You feel like you belong, you are part of a huge family and you have a purpose. Having been immersed in that for months, and then being taken out of it leaves a sense of loss and a void. It is weird to read about places over there an know what it looks like, how it feels and smells. From what I have read, things have not slowed down one bit around FOB Shank.

I have been able to keep up with some of the guys from the serviceman's group. SSGT Chiu, Hancock, and SPC Bennett will be coming home soon and Lt. Stockhoff should be about home already.

Fortunately, that void can be filled with the great things in life: family, friends and faith. I have to stop watching the news and limited checking foxnews to only once a day. I enjoyed getting back to work. I have been pretty busy at Womack. In the past couple of months, I have completed by board certification in General Surgery. We are currently getting ready to make another move to Boston where I will be doing some specialty training in plastics and reconstructive surgery at Harvard. This is yet another chapter in our lives!