National media visit Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. David Herndon
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) --  A Discovery Channel television film crew from Los Angeles and independent author Michael Mason from Tulsa, Okla., are visiting the Air Force Theater Hospital here this week for upcoming projects highlighting the contributions of Air Force Medical Service personnel in the war on terrorism.

The crew is on-site to compile footage, interviews and personal stories of wounded servicemembers and medical personnel working at the hospital for a nationally televised documentary series "Surgery Saved My Life." Mr. Mason will capture similar information, but is focusing specifically on war-zone head trauma health care for his upcoming book "Damaged."

"Surgery Saved My Life," is a series of 20 powerful stories that follow dramatic, life-saving operations, said James Younger, the series' executive producer. 

Each one-hour episode spotlights a specific surgery and explores the personal stories behind the patients and health care providers," Mr. Younger said.
 
The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs Office is escorting the film crew and author for the week. After their coverage of the hospital at Balad, the crew plans to track the journeys of several wounded servicemembers from Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and finish their documentary at military medical centers in the United States.

The television series is slated to air on Discovery Channel in June, while the author's book is to be published in May 2008.

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