Task Force Baghdad Soldiers bring medical care to Taji

Photo By Sgt. Matthew Wester | Sgt. Richard Cochea, a Philadelphia, Pa., native and civil affairs specialist for A Company, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, unloads medical supplies during a medical mission northwest of Baghdad on Nov. 27.  

TAJI, IRAQ

11.27.2005

Courtesy Story

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Sgt. Matthew Wester
3/1 AD PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq ".As he watched Army doctors treat Iraqi children and Soldiers distribute humanitarian aid to local residents of an area northwest of Baghdad, 1st Sgt. Gorakh Persaud said, "This is the heart of civil affairs."

Persaud and other Soldiers from A Company, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion were on a day-long mission to improve healthcare for Iraqi citizens Nov. 27.

"The mission had two parts," said Dr. (Capt.) Chris Warner, division psychiatrist for 3rd Infantry Division. "We took medical supplies to a local area hospital. The first mission was to get them supplies. The second (part) was to go out into the community and provide medical care for some of the Iraqi civilians."

Warner is also trained as a family practitioner and got to use those skills during the mission.

For the mission's initial phase, Soldiers made contact with officials from Al-Imam Al-Hussain Charity Hospital in Rashdiya. The hospital provides free medical care for residents of the town.

"They treat anyone with a need, so we decided to donate some of our medical supplies," said Sgt. Richard J. Cochea, a civil affairs specialist for A Co., 490th CA Bn. "Although the hospital is privately funded, resources are still limited."

The Soldiers and medical professionals from 3rd Inf. Div.'s 550th Medical Company helped supplement those resources. They worked together with employees of the hospital to move a truckload of supplies into the building.

Capt. Wendy Weinell, a team leader for A. Co., 490th CA Bn., said the Army donated, "a little bit of everything from dressings to needles, needle boxes, and gowns."

"By us being able to supplement a completely free hospital, it is going to increase the number of people they can actually service," Weinell said. "There is a high demand in this area.

"There is a high rate of tuberculosis, a high rate of children being bitten by dogs, and there are also a lot of farming accidents," she added. "These supplies will help. It will help them treat a lot of the injuries they get."

After the Soldiers unloaded the medical gear, they mounted up and navigated along sandy farm roads until they reached the relatively remote village of Su Bak Suur.

Smiling children greeted the Soldiers as they set up an makeshift clinic in the corner of a neighborhood soccer field, where the Army medical professionals set up four treatment stations and put their equipment and expertise to use.

"We saw Iraqi civilians of all ages, men and women, a definite broad range," Warner said. "In terms of ailments, we saw some general complaints you would see in any primary-care clinic such as arthritis and upper respiratory viruses. We also saw a lot of high blood pressure and diabetes, which is to be expected."

Warner said it was important that the villagers realized U.S. troops were willing to treat people even in a remote area like Su Bak Suur.

The Soldiers reached out to the village in another way as well. After treatment, they gave each person humanitarian aid items like pillows, sleeping mats and school supplies.

The children were especially excited when they received new backpacks full of pencils, pens and notebooks.

''This stuff is for the Iraqi people," Persaud said. "It serves no purpose sitting in a warehouse. We're giving it to the folks so they can use it."

Persaud said his teams deal with a lot of construction and infrastructure projects on a daily basis, but they like to do humanitarian aid missions that require direct contact with the Iraqi people.

"It's interaction for the people in a positive way," Weinell said. "It's also a chance for our Soldiers to see positives in the people. Every kid you see out here is ultimately why we're here. (There's hope) that their future will be better in Iraq."

• Date Taken: 11.27.2005
• Date Posted: 12.07.2005 10:58
• Story ID: 3978
• Location: TAJI, IQ