A Song For Lisa by Clifton La Bree Page B

examination rooms deep
in the hull of the ship. Its powerful engines began their distinctive hum and
lifted anchor. Its destination was the Pearl Harbor anchorage on the island of
Oahu. The trip would take up to two weeks. Jonathon and the other soldiers were
examined thoroughly by the ship’s staff. He remained unconscious. His next in
command, a burly staff sergeant, had petitioned their commanding officer to
write up Jonathon’s performance on the raid for the Medal of Honor. He had led
the raid from the front with competence, displaying a courage and daring that
stirred his men to maximum efforts. His calm leadership under extreme
conditions was a source of inspiration. He led by example instead of by
command, and his men followed him with assurance. He had a reputation for being
creative and clever. The men were saddened to leave him at the aid station. The
scuttlebutt was that the wounds would very likely terminate his army career.
    The aid station and a regimental operating center had
stabilized Jonathon so that he was no longer bleeding through the wounds on his
right arm and leg. Torn flesh wounds were dusted with sulfa powder and quickly
dressed. The open wounds of his leg and arm would require X-rays before surgery
could be performed. Broken bone pieces were removed where possible, but no
effort was made to repair the bone damage until it could be adequately assessed
at a more advanced facility. Morphine was generously given to Jonathon to
relieve the pain that accompanied the massive trauma he had sustained. It could
be addictive, yet, its superlative power to make pain disappear had few equals.
Glucose and blood plasma were immediately administered intravenously at the
field aid station, a decision that probably saved his life.
    When the ship’s surgical team removed Jonathon from the stretcher,
they were alarmed that he had been bleeding so extensively. The bedding was
saturated with blood. The surgeons quickly stripped Jonathon’s clothing and the
dressings that had been applied, so that they could evaluate his condition. He
presented a challenge to their dedication and skill.
    The humerus, the main bone in his upper arm, was broken in
several places and completely shattered at one end so that it would never be
able to restore itself. The ulna and radius bones of his lower arm were also
broken but had not been disintegrated. The surgeons agreed that reconstruction
had to be done immediately, and they fashioned a stainless steel rod to help
hold the humerus in place. Luckily, his elbow joint and wrist had escaped
serious injury. They dressed the wounds after removing all of the broken
fragments of shattered bone and placed temporary casts on the upper and lower
arm so that his elbow and wrist could not be moved.
    The most severe damage to Jonathon’s body was to his right
leg. It looked to the surgeons as if a sharp knife had cut away all tendons and
tissue. His kneecap was destroyed and the femur (thigh bone) was broken in two
places. The fibula and tibia (bones connecting the knee to the foot) were also
broken in several places. Steel pins were used to secure all of the leg bones
and to repair his kneecap. The surgeons were most concerned about the ability
of his body to replace the lost muscle and flesh in his thigh. They spent hours
reconnecting the torn tendons and blood vessels, and debated about leaving
portions of his leg free of any solid cast so that they could begin skin
grafting procedures soon. Finally, a cast was fashioned to be strong enough to
hold his leg in position without undue movement, leaving portions of his thigh
open. A cast around his ankle and foot was held in position with temporary rods
running from the cast on his knee to the foot, and from his knee cast to a cast
fashioned around his pelvis.
    Jonathon’s upper torso was covered with superficial cuts and
abrasions that had bled extensively. They were sterilized and dressed with
heavy compress bandages. His upper body was