Word: erful
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...Iraqi conflict may eventually become known as the "survivors' war," because of the all-time high ratio of wounded who returned home alive. I was one of them, thanks partly to the Army field hospital featured in HBO's extraordinary documentary, "Baghdad ER." Injured in a grenade attack while reporting on a December 2003 patrol, I was sent to a facility built by Saddam Hussein for his inner circle and commandeered by the U.S. military. Doctors operated on what was left of my right arm and sent me to Germany three days later, giving me a generally favorable impression...
...Baghdad ER" is a raw, unflinching look at the human cost of the three-year conflict. The doctors and nurses who bear witness play starring roles in a documentary that offers close-ups of medical heroes at work and play. Not surprisingly, a few voice despair over the extent and relentlessness of the carnage. But their words reflect compassion more than partisanship, something the Washington brass could embrace as a sign of commitment to save every life. The film quotes a soldier saying he and his buddies are comforted to know "there's still a chance we'll survive...
...Baghdad ER" provides rare footage of medevac crews getting their assignments at the map-filled Tactical Operations Command and inside a Black Hawk transporting a patient. I would have liked to see more of the crucial role played by those air rescue squads. Likewise, the big medical decisions - whether to amputate a limb or move a brain-damaged victim - get short shrift. HBO missed potentially dramatic scenes of those debates. A long, jazzy saxophone solo by a soldier reflects the melancholy mood of patients. But, despite a few emotional scenes, the film failed to plumb the mindset of casualties...
With its stark, graphic images of injured soldiers and their colleagues who tend to them, the HBO documentary "Baghdad ER" is in many ways a tribute to the brave, tireless doctors at the United States Army's 86th Combat Support Hospital in Iraq. But not all Iraq combat surgeons think the film - which includes images of a soldier being carried from a helicopter, his face burned beyond recognition - is such a good idea. Last week Dr. Joseph Brennan, who is an Air Force Colonel, received an email directed to all Armed Forces medical personnel warning of the potential traumatic effects...
...hotel heiress introduced at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles? "Sorry, I'm late," Hilton told the crush of ardent fans and photographers who had been waiting more than an hour for her. "I'm really excited to have my new video game Diamond Quest." Er, what? Promotional materials at the E3 booth called it Paris Hilton's Jewel Jam, while the E3 website said it's Jewl Jam. (Later, the game's developer, Gameloft, said--somewhat implausibly--that Paris was right.) In any case, the puzzle-like game is meant to allow players to "party with...