Roper K. Sue - Ruffs war: a Navy nurse on the frontline in Iraq

RUFF'S

WAR

RUFFS

WAR

A Navy Nurse

on the Frontline in Iraq

Cdr. Cheryl Lynn Ruff

U.S. Navy Nurse Corps (Ret.)

with

Cdr. K. Sue Roper

U.S. Navy Nurse Corps (Ret.)

Naval Institute Press

Annapolis, Maryland

This title was converted into an eBook by a gift from

The Society for the History of Navy Medicine

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

2005 by Cheryl Lynn Ruff and K. Sue Roper

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First Naval Institute Press paperback edition published 2013

ISBN 978-1-61251-381-2 (eBook)

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Ruff, Cheryl Lynn, 1958

Ruffs war : a Navy nurse on the frontline in Iraq / Cheryl Lynn Ruff ; with K. Sue Roper.

p. cm.

1. Iraq War, 2003Personal narratives, American. 2. Iraq War, 2003Medical careUnited States. 3. Ruff, Cheryl Lynn, 1985 4. NursesUnited StatesBiography. 5. NursesIraqBiography. I. Roper, K. Sue, 1952 II. Title,

DS79.76R84 2005

956.7044'37dc22

Print editions meet the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All photos are from the authors personal collection.

To my sister Jeryl Dean Kellert

for her steadfast love and support throughout my career.

In memory of my cousin Kathy Lynn McKently

who fought the most heroic battle.

Contents

Ruffs War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq would not have been successful without the hard work and support of many individuals.

Special thanks to the writer K. Sue Roper, whose persistence and dedication made this book a reality.

To those who relentlessly insisted that my story be told: Phyllis Shelton, Betsy Nolan, Sandra Lindelof, Sam Yerkes, Nancy Lundquist, Peggy Dolan, Melinda Tankersley, Jan Reiff, James L. Roper III, Chic Lisitano, and Shirley Cornell.

To my family, friends, and all the employees and their families from Blue Ball National Bank, Blue Ball, Pennsylvania. Your encouragement, love, and support provided the strength I needed in the darkest hours.

RUFF'S

WAR

W e had no sooner set up the tents of our field hospital in Iraq than the helicopters began arriving with the dead and the wounded. We, the Bravo Surgical Company, were ready to goprepared to triage, to perform surgery, to render all the medical and surgical care we could to those who were brought to us.

The first to be removed from a helicopter was a young American marine. He was carried off in a tarp, not in a body bag. One guy was holding one side of the tarp, and another was holding the other side as they carried him toward a large box that served as a morgue. I could see the top of this young marines head. It was sticking out beyond the length of the tarp, and I could see his light brownish-blonde hair. He could not have been any more than nineteen years old. I could also see his feet sticking out from the other end of the tarp. He was dead, and one of his boots had been removed in order to collect the dog tag that had been affixed to his left boot.