Photo By Sgt. 1st Class James Wilt | Medics from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne...... read more read more
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Pfc. James Wilt
82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office
Task Force White Falcon
TALL AFAR, Iraq -- Moaning in a small room on the outskirts of the city, a young Iraqi man lies on a stretcher, slowly bleeding from four gunshot wounds to the body and one to the head.
All around him, men methodically examine and patch the holes the bullets left, working to keep him alive just a little bit longer.
Soon, four men pick-up the stretcher and carry him out to a waiting helicopter bound for a hospital in Mosul.
The men helping the injured Iraqi man can breath a sigh of relief, the gunshot victim is on the "bird" with a heart beat and a breath in his lung.
Medics with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, operate an aid station here where they provide emergency medical care to U.S. military personnel and the Iraqi populace.
"There is a guy, I can't remember his name, he said it perfect, "In a war zone, your whole mission in life is to kill the enemy and survive;" our enemy is death. So when we're fighting, we're fighting death itself," said Sgt 1st Class Tyson E. Bubnar a combat
medic from Port Hueneme, Calif.
On more than one occasion, the medics working in the "White Falcon" aid station have been called to battle.
"For the most part we're treating innocent civilians that get hurt from an IED or Iraqi army soldiers that come in," said Staff Sgt. Daniel R. Eraso, a combat medic from Winterpark, Fla.
Fighting death, disease and injury, the paratroopers who give aid to the local populace and their own troops, have had many victories despite the odds against them.
Since arriving here, the medics have treated over 200 patients with medical problems ranging from the common cold to gunshot wounds.
For most of the paratroopers, the hardest part of treating many of their patients is the fact that the patients are children.
"Seeing the kids get injured is the only thing that bothers me," Eraso said.
Shortly after the aid station was set up, a young boy was brought in with 2nd degree burns to his face and right arm.
Examining the boy's eyes, ears and mouth was a priority for the medics.
With a burn to the face, they wanted to ensure he could still see, hear and talk, said Sgt. Jeremy B. Johns, a combat medic from Yorktown, Va.
After establishing that there was no damage to the boy's senses, the paratroopers began to cool the boy's wounds down and scrub off all of the burnt skin, Johns said.
The skin was removed to prevent infection.
"He was hurting pretty good," Johns said.
"That's the one thing I noticed about a lot of kids here, they have a really high tolerance for pain," Johns said.
"Which is good for us in a lot of ways but at the same time its pretty sad kids have to be that strong that young," he added.
The boy returned to the aid station for follow up treatments and is well on his way to a health recovery, Johns said.
The boy was not the only burn victim the unit has seen. They also treated an 18-month old baby.
"It makes it really hard because we want to do as much as we can for the kids here," he added.
The children who enter the aid station get more than medical treatment from the paratroopers, they get also get care.
Standard issue items for the children can include pencils, candy or a stuffed animal, Bubnar said.
While helping the people here, the medics are not always as successful. Some of their patients suffer from ailments the paratroopers can't cure.
"It makes it kind of hard when you know that this kid has something that really needs to be worked on and you can't do anything for him. All we can do is give him a beanie baby and say sorry," Johns said.
In spite of not being able to help everyone, the paratroopers of the "White Falcon"
aid station know they are making a difference.
"You come away with a sense of accomplishment, a sense of actually contributing to the reconstruction of this country," Franco said.
At least two of the local residents here appreciate what the medics are doing.
Following the treatment of a young boy, who was bitten by a donkey and found by paratroopers belonging to the battalion's Company D, the boy and his father wrote the medical staff a letter.
"To delta company and the American doctors [who] treated him, we are very grateful for them and would do anything for them to repayâ?¦them," they wrote.
The knowledge and skill to provide medical care to their patients comes from training and experience.
Nearly all of the medics in the aid station have been deployed at least three times.
Also, because of being part of an airborne division, they deal with real-world injuries while giving aid to paratroopers who injure themselves parachuting from aircraft, Bubnar said.
The paratroopers are also certified EMTs.
"Every one of them has an EMT Certificate and CPR certificate but if you compare them to your EMT out on the street I"d say they are three times more trained. I almost compare them to paramedics minus the advanced cardiac stuff," Bubnar said.
The paratroopers of the "White Falcon" aid station will continue to use their experience and training to aid the local people here and if the need arises, they will use their skill to help their fellow paratroopers.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2005 15:03 |
| Story ID: | 3632 |
| Location: | TAL AFAR, IQ |
| Web Views: | 455 |
| Downloads: | 26 |
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