The mission of an Army physician is “To Conserve the Fighting Strength,” and as difficult as it was to be away from my family, focusing on that mission helped me get through the deployment. 15 months was a long time, and there were a lot of tough days, many of them frightening and certainly tragic, but I believed in my mission. I knew that providing the best possible medical care to soldiers was fulfilling a sacred promise that helped them do their difficult job everyday. If soldiers knew that when they were sick, wounded, or just needed someone to talk to, my medics and I would be there for them, then they could execute their mission with confidence. Among the troops I served were also hundreds of coalition soldiers from El Salvador, Georgia, Poland, Romania, even the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army. Like their American counterparts, these coalition forces fought hard, lived, and sometimes died there in Iraq. I missed my family and loved ones more than I could ever express, but taking care of the soldiers tasked with defending our country was an honor and privilege, and caring for them in Iraq was the best job I’ve ever had.