Welcome to the fourth issue of 2008 Journal of Trauma Nursing (JTN) with a focus on nursing care of combat casualties. I commend the STN Board of Directors for their vision in agreeing to publish this timely document. This issue is being published at a time when our country is engaged in military conflict. This war has demonstrated that weaponry has become more advanced, and the injuries we are seeing are very complex. Since the implementation and advances in aeromedical evacuation from the war zone, it is common for injured combatants to arrive in continental United States with 72 hours of injury. Our wounded warriors rely on both the military treatment facilities and civilian trauma centers to provide the finest care possible and will be counting on this collaborative alignment for the rest of their lives. Military and civilian trauma nurses need to be keenly aware of the advances in the care of our injured soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, and be able to carry those lessons learned forward to the civilian population. Preparation for those challenges can only be met through education and cooperation between the military and civilian components. The information presented in this issue of the JTN will assist all nurses in their daily practice. By increasing awareness, the trauma nurses will be better able to respond to the needs of combat casualties and transfer best practice to the civilian trauma centers. The commitment of trauma nurses to continuing professional education and research ensures that the injured receive the highest quality care. We must examine the ongoing possibilities for partnership.

I encourage all trauma nurses across the continuum of combat casualty care and the civilian trauma fields to work in partnership, take lessons learned in each sphere and provide education, implement best practice, and take this opportunity to provide the best outcomes possible for all victims of traumatic injury. The vision is for a system of coordination, which decreases mortality and improves patient outcomes and gets the right care, to the right patient, to the right place, at the right time.

I extend my sincere gratitude to Kathryn Schroeter, JTN editor, for her patience and to all the contributors to this unique issue of the JTN. Many thanks also to COL Stephen Flaherty, MD, trauma program director at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, for his Guest Editorial, his astute vision for the worldwide military trauma system, and for granting me the time and opportunity to assist with the delivery of this issue.