CNN 2010-08-06（在线收听）

Remember the TV show MASH? And for today's American soldier, the prospect of meatball surgery a few miles from battlefield is a far cry from the new reality. Huge strides in medicine and technology are saving the lives of injured soldiers who in previous wars may not have survived. Here's CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr in part one of her exclusive series, The Journey Home.

Dayline in the drive radio.

It's before dawn in the trauma bay at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. Another soldier wounded in the fighting down south, surgeons, nurses, doing everything they can.

One, two, three.

The journey home starts here. In Vietnam, it could take weeks, but now, wounded can be home in days. CNN was granted exclusive access to see the medical care that makes it possible, and to injured troops, some hours off the frontline. In the hospital hallway, army specialist, James Dennis, is being shipped home after being in 3 attacks in 3 weeks. He had already been here before. He survived 2 roadside bomb attacks in the same day and then a couple of days ago.

It was indirect fire. I was hit by a mortar.

But still smiling.

I'm good right now. They gave me some medicine.

In the latest attack, Dennis ordered junior troops under fire to run for safety. He couldn't get away in time.

I didn't even get started running. And I guess it knocked me out because I remember pushing myself up above the van and had all this blood all over me. And then they medevaced

me.

Dennis praises the doctors and nurses.

These people here are awesome. I mean they do their job. I respect these guys a lot.

Before Dennis is moved to the plane, a last emotional hug from the trauma doc, Captain Joshua Miller.

Vans.

I saw him over there in that wheelchair, and I just took another look at him. I said, man, what are you doing here again? You know, I'm not supposed to see you again, and sure enough, he'd suffered another explosion injury.

The doors have just shut on this air medical evacuation flight here in Bagram, Afghanistan. The wounded have already been loaded. You can see that medical staff is already taking care of them even before we take off. We are about to go on an eight-hour flight back to Germany. These troops are going to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for further treatment.