Thoughts on Baghdad from a US Army medic

US Army medic Benjamin Corbett recorded this thoughts on one of his final patrols of Baghdad this week.
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LISA MULLINS: Today has been a day of reflection for those American troops in Iraq. One of them recorded his thoughts while he was on patrol in Baghdad this week.

BENJAMIN CORBETT: My name is Benjamin Corbett. I am the medic for Red Platoon Charlie Company. What I do on a daily basis is make sure the soldiers stay healthy, hand out Tylenols, Aspirins, anything like that. But then if someone does get hurt out here, it’s my primary duty to make sure they stay fixed, and get them stable enough to transport ‘em. This is my second tour and I’ve been here four months. This tour, it seems to be more secure. Yesterday, a bad guy set off a TFP, the Target Coalition Forces. The guy who detonated it was a little too close to his work, and wound up blowing himself about 20 feet back into a nice pond. Derek Young got out and pulled him to safety, I started working on him. He was pretty much too far-gone with the amount of blood he lost, not much I could’ve done to save him. I tried. I bandaged up his holes, tried to get some fluids back into him. He didn’t have enough, really, that just collapsed on me.

[SOUND CLIP OF BENJAMIN CORBETT TALKING TO IRAQIS]

BENJAMIN CORBETT: Most people are kind, very friendly. They say hello, they like to show off their English, even though at night they’ll say good-morning.

[SOUND CLIP OF BENJAMIN CORBETT TALKING TO IRAQIS]

BENJAMIN CORBETT: The people who just wanna spend their daily lives doing what they do, making their money and having a family. I think that will miss us because I don’t think it’ll be as secure, but who knows. If they don’t want us here, they don’t want us here.

[SOUND CLIP OF BENJAMIN CORBETT TALKING TO IRAQIS]

BENJAMIN CORBETT: It’d be very great if Iraq could become a democracy, and democracy could force in the Middle East. It would make my time over here feel worthwhile, it’d make it feel like it was not all for not, you know? I’m missing my family, I miss my parents, my wife, my baby. So I really hope it succeeds, ’cause if it doesn’t, then it’s wasteful. Millions of dollars, American lives, Iraqi lives, civilians. It needs to succeed, it just has to.

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LISA MULLINS: That’s US army medic Benjamin Corbett on patrol this week in Baghdad.