IA Medical

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | An Iraqi Army doctor cares for a patient during a humanitarian exercise here. Iraqi medical personnel saw 50 patients.  

NEFAV SHA, IRAQ

05.15.2006

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

NEFAV SHA, Iraq (May 3, 2006) " Iraqi Army medical personnel took the lead on a humanitarian exercise that provided medical treatment for 50 people in the northern Iraqi village of Nefav Sha .

U.S. Soldiers from Company A, 445th Civil Affairs Battalion and the 1st Brigade Military Training Team escorted ambulances from the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Division, to the village located the southeast corner of the Tahwilla area. The Coalition forces supported two Iraqi Army doctors and medics from both the U.S. and Iraqi Armies.

"It was really well received," said Sgt. Michael Moon, an Army Reservist from Mountview, Calif., who serves as a civil affairs team member. "They treated everything from bloody noses and dysentery to more serious medical problems."

Moon said Nefav Sha is a largely Shia village that has about 800 residents. It has been a "hot spot" for insurgent activity in the past, but the people responded well to the Iraqi Army's humanitarian efforts.

"It was really important for the Iraqi Army to be seen in a positive light there," Moon said. "It was very important to give the Iraqi Army credibility and respect."

In addition to medical treatment and prescriptions, Iraqi Soldiers gave out donated clothing, medical supplies and toys to the village children. The villagers interacted well with the Iraqi Army Soldiers which included members of the 1st Brigade's military-civilian operations section.

"For a lot of people in the village, it was one of their first exposures to the Iraqi Army," Moon said. "The people were really very receptive."

• Date Taken: 05.15.2006
• Date Posted: 05.15.2006 13:52
• Story ID: 6388
• Location: NEFAV SHA, IQ