Here Comes The Sun
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
Me, producer Nicola and cameraman Delimir arrive at Camp Victory to shoot this story
Education about the heat here begins pre-deployment – with soldiers learning about the role fitness levels, hydration and nutrition can all play in staying healthy.
When they arrive in-country, each soldier will take a different amount of time to acclimatize (depending too, of course, on what time of year they arrive in Iraq). I talked with LTCDR Dennis Faix, one of the physicians at the TF-62 medical center at VBC.
He told me that heat is a constant challenge in Iraq. He said “It’s one of the few things, like malaria or typhoid that can take out an entire operational unit, and decrease their effectiveness very quickly”. LTCDR Faix is normally stationed in San Diego and tells me I’d enjoy the surfing there more than the desert sands of Iraq!
Getting my temperature taken by Dr Laurel before the experiment
Of course we weren’t hoping to find a soldier with a heat-related illness to prove our point. I’ve had heat stroke three times over the past five years in Iraq and wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But I did want to try and show how even a short exposure to the heat and sun here can affect the body: measuring vital statistics like heart rate, blood pressure and temperature before and after.
So I figured it was time to get dressed in 65lbs of extra gear, similar to what a combat medic might wear out on patrol (minus the gun of course, they tend not to let journalists carry those!)
I put on a helmet, backpack containing medical equipment, body armor and started walking about (under medical supervision of course, and with cameraman Delimir Babic filming every step).
Cameraman Delimir finds a space for the clip-on microphone
After 5 minutes I thought I was doing okay – sure, it was hot and I was sweating and the pack was heavy, but I felt not bad. After 10 minutes I was feeling the strain – out of breath (which had as much to do with my poor fitness levels as the sun!) sweating a lot and getting pins & needles in my fingers due to the weight of the backpack not being properly distributed.
I walked around for about 15 minutes, then decided to stop, figuring that was enough time to get some changes in physiology.
At the end of the experiment I was surprised my shirt wasn’t more sweat-soaked, until I remembered I’d bought some fancy hi-tech material that wicks away moisture, so not the best way to show how hot I was feeling. As expected however, my blood pressure had gone up, my heart rate was racing, and my body temperature went to 98.8 degrees (an increase of almost 3 degrees after just 15 minutes in the sun).
65lbs of extra gear, including a back-pack filled with medical equipment
Five minutes of walking, and already feeling the strain as the temperature rises
Finishing the experiment, I looked better than I felt!
Producer Nicola Sadler was there to take pictures and document the whole experiment for the blog (and laugh at me later, naturally). I’ve looked better, but you get the idea a) how out of shape I am and b) how hot it is out there for the military personnel who have to endure the heat and sun a lot longer than I did.
Afterwards, Dr Laurel notes the increased temperature, heart rate and blood pressure!
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Its great that our fine men and women in uniform have the proper gear and survival skills, so they can handle hours of grueling missions. It can take a toll on a soldiers body if they arent careful, and can lead to post tramatic stress disorder and other problems.
Love your posts David. This story makes me admire the men and women in uniform even more that I already did. Keep up the great work!!
Servicemembers fitness is crucial for extended deployments. A Marine may have up to 45 extra pounds of ammo in addition to his already 45 lbs of armor and they do it from 7 mo to a year in the the not so pleasant 113 degree temps. Oh by they way, there is someone trying to kill you while you are doing this too. Changes things up a bit.
It is impperative that servicemembers maintain their physical health throughout deplloyment. It is essential. A typical Marine will carry an additinal 45 lbs of ammo along with his already 45lbs of body armor and do it for 7 mos in the not so pleasant 113 degree temps. Thanks for the info and keep it comming.
Keep up the great reports! And yes, I do know what running with 65 pounds on my back in 100 degree heat is like, plus humidity that was a LOT worse than anything in Iraq. Vietnam’s casualties always had a surprisingly high number of “non-combat” listings, and before going there I wondered if the roads were all Mad-Hatter freeways to generate accidents. Probably 25% of all infantry casualties in that war were non-combat, and at least half of those were from heat prostration. Malaria and foot-rot made up most of the rest.
Yeah, but it’s a dry heat…..
OIF I 2003-2004 Balad
OIF III – 2005 Cedar II
OIF ? – Coming soon (Oct 2008 – Oct 2009)
I’ve been in for 32 years and I’ve never seen any women carry 65lbs. in a backpack in any weather conditions. The men are expected to carry much of her weight and she is never given additional jobs like carrying radios, machine guns, or extra ammo.