In the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad AB, Iraq, pharmacy technicians and the radiology specialists are very busy dealing with trauma medicine. Journalist SrA. Candace Romano reports that pharmacists make initial assessments, monitor morphine, fill prescriptions, mix intravenous fluids, and make rounds in the intensive care units and wards. One critical care pharmacist said the pharmacy filled 23,706 prescriptions in January. Journalist SSgt. Carlos Diaz writes that the radiology staff treated 38 patients in 16 hours on Presidents Day; they perform 1,600 CT scans a month, averaging 53 per day. They use two state-of-the-art scanners that provide 16 image planes for a faster CT scan, and time is critical with the near constant flow of patients.
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…