Openbah / Journal of a Marine Officer Candidate

Month: March 2006

  • Screwed

    Finally got around to taking photos of my x-rays from Hanscom. As you can see, the surgeons had to re-align the head of the femur before screwing the three titanium screws into my leg.

    Adrienne says the procedure can be done with minimally invasive techniques, using only a small incision to achieve correct results. This is called ORIF (open reduction internal fixation), and is the reason why a cast was not necessary.

    The procedure is typically begun by using a power drill to create a path for the screws. The orthopedic surgeon then manually puts the screws in place with a screwdriver. The surgeon typically asks the x-ray technician to periodically check the alignment of the joint with x-ray photos. After the screws have been inserted and the alignment is deemed correct, the incision is sealed with stitches at the deep layers and is superficially closed with staples.

    The staples were removed 10 days post-op with a fancy medical version of a staple remover.

  • Adventures at Hanscom

    According to a Staff Sergeant in Quantico, in order for my injury to be covered under the military’s insurance, I needed a consult with a military physician, since I lived within 50 miles of a base.

    Yesterday Adrienne and I made our way out to Hanscom Air Force Base, located about 30 minutes from my house. I was told I needed to be seen by a physician, who would give me a referral to a local Boston orthopedic specialist.

    We arrived to the medical clinic at around 1315 and were told that I needed to be registered with Tricare before I could be seen. So I hobbled to the Tricare office, where I was then told I needed a DD-261 filled out by my CO at Quantico before anything could be done. Nobody at my local OSO office had ever heard of a DD-261, apparently it is an Air Force form that the Navy/Marine Corps doesn’t use. So we faxed a copy to Quantico, but since it was now 1430, there was no way I was going to get the form filled out that day and I wouldn’t be seen by a physician, which meant I would have to come back to Hanscom when they received the form back from Quantico.

    But thanks to the awesome people at Hanscom, they bent their typical rules and proceeded with the process! I was registered with Tricare, x-rayed, and had a successful consult with a Lieutenant Colonel all within the next 2 hours. I am very happy about this because now I will be able to keep my appointment on the 28th with the orthopedic specialist at Boston Medical Center that I booked almost 3 weeks ago. Sweet.

  • Letter from Lieutenant General Mattis


    Dear Mike,

    It has been brought to my attention that you were recently injured at Officer Candidates School. While injuries in the program are common, candidates continuing to train on stress fractures until the bone breaks are rare indeed. Your perseverance and dedication demonstrated a lot of fortitude in the face of pain. For health reasons I’d rather that you’d brought this injury earlier to our attention, but your toughness of spirit is most impressive. You also remind us why Marines are feared by our enemies – young men of your ilk are the enemy’s worst nightmare.

    Your selfless example and gritty determination mark you as a man who has much to contribute to our enlisted Marines that look to officers for your style of leadership. Come back when you heal – we have a place for you as an officer of Marines, young man.

    I applaud your commitment and extend to you my personal Well Done.

    Semper Fidelis,

    JAMES N. MATTIS
    Lieutenant General, U.S. Marines

  • SULE II

    Just got off the phone with a friend from Missouri who is still at OCS. His name is next to mine in the alphabet so we were rackmates and always had firewatch together.

    He was on liberty on his way back to the base and thought he’d give me a call. SULE II (Small Unit Leadership Evaluation) is this week. He said they’ve been practicing like crazy. SULE II is a guaranteed bitch, but I can’t help but wish I was there doing it with them.

    He said a bunch of the guys still talk about me. It made me feel good to know they haven’t forgotten about me yet.

    Oh yeah, and the platoon corpsman told the platoon my injury was probably the worst he has ever seen at OCS. Go me.

  • Ten day update

    It has been ten days since my surgery at Bethesda. It is amazing how much things have changed since then. As expected, my movement in the hospital bed was mainly limited to my upper body. I could move my feet a little and could wiggle my toes, something the docs made me do regularly. Two days after my surgery the physical therapist forced me to get up and learn how to use crutches.

    When I first got back at my apartment, I couldn’t do much of anything myself, I needed assistance with everything. Slowly, I’ve learned how to lift my body in and out of the bed and chairs, and I’ve really gotten the hang of crutches.

    I went outside yesterday for the first time since being discharged. I used my crutches and made it all the way to the office of my management company a few blocks away. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it all the way on crutches so my father pushed my wheelchair behind me. It felt awesome to be outside and get some air and sun.