Ray Wiss - FOB Doc: A Doctor On the Front Lines in Afghanistan--A War Diary

PRAISE FOR FOB DOC

Captain Ray Wiss left an extremely successful medical practice to volunteer as a medical officer with the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. FOBDoc gives a clear picture from the coal face of why we are there and what our soldiers have accomplished. This book pares away the rhetoric to present the soldier and his work with pride and professionalism.

BRIGADIER GENERAL PETER ATKINSON
Director GeneralOperations, Canadian Forces Strategic Joint Staff

Rays experience as a soldier and an emergency physician gives him a unique clarity of vision which he trains on everything he sees on the front lines in Afghanistan, from moral and medical aspects to social and strategic issues. He is a natural teacher. After reading his diary, you will understand Canadas mission in a whole new light.

HOWARD OVENS
Director, Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto

Dr. Ray Wiss has a hyperactive practice in clinical medicine and particularly in teaching emergency ultrasound all across Canada. He wrote FOBDoc to convince his friends that, in going to work in a combat zone for soldiers wages, he hadnt gone off the deep end. He has succeeded. After reading this book, you will have a much clearer understanding of why we are fighting in Afghanistan and of what is at stake.

DR. MICHEL GARNER
Chief, Emergency Department, Hpital du Sacr-Coeur, Montral

FOBDoc was born from Rays daily journal entries about his Afghan medical mission. His diarys main purpose was to provide an educational record for his daughter. As you read FOBDoc, you will witness how Ray provided care with humour and distinction to soldiers and civilians alike. You will also gain a new understanding of Canadas required role in Afghanistan. Rays front line accounts are a witness to his success as a father, physician and friend.

SCOTT WILSON
Clinical Chief, Emergency Services, Eastern Health, St. Johns, NL

A WAR DIARY
A Doctor on the Front Lines in Afghanistan

FOB DOC

Captain ray Wiss, M.D.

Foreword by General rick Hillier

Copyright 2009 by Captain Ray Wiss, M.D.

09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For a copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800 -893-5777.

Douglas & McIntyre
A division of D&M Publishers Inc.
2323 Quebec Street, Suite 201
Vancouver, BC Canada V5T 4S7
www.dmpibooks.com

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Wiss, Ray, 1959
FOB doc : a doctor on the front lines in Afghanistan : a war diary / Ray Wiss.
ISBN 978-1-55365-472-8
1. Wiss, Ray, 1959 . 2. Afghan War, 2001 Personal narratives, Canadian.
3. CanadaArmed ForcesAfghanistanMedical personnelBiography.
4. Afghan War, 2001 Participation, Canadian. 5. PhysiciansAfghanistanBiography.
6. PhysiciansCanadaBiography. I. Title.
DS371. 413.W58 2009 958.1047092 C2009 - 903758- 0

Editing by John Eerkes-Medrano
Jacket design by Peter Cocking
Jacket photographs courtesy of Ray Wiss
Text design by Naomi MacDougall

All illustrations courtesy of the author, except for p. 30 (top and bottom) and pp. 197 to 207, courtesy Combat Camera Team, Department of National Defence (DND), reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2009; p. 55 (two maps), courtesy Eric Leinberger; p. 192, artwork by and courtesy of Silvia Pecota; p. 208 (top), courtesy MCpl Ken Fenner, Combat Camera, and (bottom), artwork by and courtesy of Silvia Pecota.

Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens
Printed on acid-free paper that is forest friendly (100% post-consumer recycled paper) and has been processed chlorine free or printed on paper that comes from sustainable forests managed under the Forest Stewardship Council Distributed in the U.S. by Publishers Group West.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Province of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit, and the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our publishing activities.

For my daughter, Michelle

Why do soldiers risk their present, if not for their future?

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU

CONTENTS

by General Rick Hillier

I F I HAVE HEARD CANADIAN SOLDIERS say, once, that they wish every Canadian, from coast to coast to coast, could spend one or two days in some of the hellholes these servicemen and women temporarily call home, then Ive heard them say it a million times. They say it to express their frustration with the superficial concerns that Canadians are perceived to have for the rest of the worldthat is, we must do everything possible to help, but not if it gets really hard or expensive or interferes with our livesas well as their difficulty in articulating the difference between Canada and the rest of the world. These men and women who serve our country in our nations uniform want all Canadians young and old, both those born here and those recently arrived to appreciate what a great country we have, what an affluent life we live and why we have a responsibility towards those who desperately need our help, whether we find it hard or not.

Obviously all Canadians cant visit or live in places like Afghanistan, but they can do it figuratively by reading FOBDoc. In this book, in a very real and emotional way, Ray Wiss fills the gap in our education concerning much that goes on outside our borders. FOBDoc leaves one feeling proud to be Canadian, emotional when reading about our sons and daughters who have been wounded or killed, and clear about the evils that lurk in our worldevils that sometimes need to be confronted, no matter the cost.

Rays description of his tour in Kandahar and of the variety of his experiencesfrom the trip to Afghanistan to the instant and overwhelming impact of sand and heat, his work at the Role 3 Hospital, the vagaries of operational transport, insects and bugs, accommodation, and eating and socializing facilitiesis so realistic that it puts us there, with Canadians that we know and with their friends from around the world. We are there during the boring times, in those minutes of sheer terror, at Christmas and while Rays comrades talk to their families back in Canada. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Ray has shown us that picture and has used the words to create an experience we all can share.

Central to this book, though, is something that is fortunately unfamiliar to the vast majority of Canadianswar and all its implications. Like Ray Wiss, surrounded by the images and stories of the men and women with him, we get to see, through his eyes, the toughness and professionalism of those Canadian soldiers, tempered by their absolute humanity and kindness. We feel, with him and with them, their pride in being Canadian, in representing in this far-flung corner of the world a country that Afghans can only fantasize about living in. We get to understand the equipment they have and use so wellnot in the terms that come across on Discovery Channel, but in a way that lets us say, Yeah, I got it. We learn what an ARV is, and we connect with the young Canadians who operate the vehicle. We also get to feel the basic, rugged accommodations, the bagged meals that, although tasty, get monotonous after days of nothing else.