Hawai'i surgeon treated U.S., Iraqi casualties
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Dr. Craig Ono makes a living caring for children as an orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Hospital for Children. But for the first three months this year, the Army reservist shifted his expertise to the casualties of war as part of his deployment to Iraq.
Ono is with the 1984th U.S. Army Hospital at Tripler Army Medical Center. Last December, he was assigned to the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment at Alasad Air Base, about 110 miles northwest of Baghdad. He characterized the situation as similar to a MASH unit, where the wounded were treated, stabilized and sent to a hospital for further treatment.
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Ono said he and three general surgeons saw about two major trauma patients a week, and were always on call.
Unlike Shriners, where he handles chronic reconstructive problems, "the injuries that I was taking care of was more trauma," said Ono, who returned to Hawai'i on April 1.
Alasad, the former Iraqi air base, is not near populated areas, and Ono said there were no serious threats while he was there. But three days after he left, mortar shells rocked the base, and it was the start of the deadliest month since the war began.
Ono said the thought of his deployment being extended was in the back of his mind, as is the possibility that he'll be redeployed. "That's part of being in the Reserves," he said. "It's not something that we enjoy doing, but ... having been out there, we're aware of why there's a requirement to be there."
Ono said the American surgeons treated wounded Iraqi soldiers no differently than the injured Americans.
"We did everything we needed to do to resuscitate them and take care of them," he said. "We sent them to our own military hospitals in Baghdad for further care, so there was really no difference between how we cared for them."
This was the third deployment for the 46-year-old doctor. He was on active duty in the Army for 15 years and a reservist for three years, and served in the first Iraq war and in Kosovo in 2000.
In those previous deployments, he handled injuries at a later stage. "We were doing the second operation, the third operation," he said.
"This was more like being in a MASH, where you're seeing a lot of fresh injuries."
Ono, who was away from home during Christmas, said he's happy to be home with his wife and three daughters. And he's grateful for the support of the hospital and 1984th during his absence.
"It's nice to be able to come back and thank people and acknowledge them for their support for both me and my family," he said.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
