Photo By Spc. Cal Turner | Spc. Calvin Lee, a healthcare specialist with the 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery...... read more read more
Subscribe
By Spc. Debrah A. Robertson
40th Public Affairs Detachment
KUWAIT — "It was mid to late October. I was filling in for a gunner during a routine security check, and we stopped on a common bridge," said Spc. Calvin Lee, a healthcare specialist with the 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery Regiment.
Lee and the rest of his team were paused during what they thought would be a routine security check in Iraq, near the Kuwaiti border, in support of Third Army/U.S. Army Central's mission.
Then, breaking what Lee described as a very quiet night, the team heard an explosion in the distance. The events which would unfold next would lead to Lee being awarded the Bronze Star in January.
"It was large enough that we could see the aftermath of the blast and smoke," said 21-year-old Lee. "We raced down to the incident. We drove 250 to 300 meters down the road and was stopped by the sister truck of the truck that was hit."
Unknown to the Soldiers who stopped Lee and his team, the Soldiers in the hit vehicle were loosing lots of blood and were in more serious condition than they thought.
After they asked for a medic, "I dismounted and hopped into their truck and we drove another 100 meters to the site," said Lee, a Milwaukee, Wis., native.
Not expecting what came next, Lee entered the damaged vehicle to assess the Soldiers' wounds.
"There was blood all over the inside of the truck," described Lee. "All three [of the Soldiers in the vehicle] were injured. The most critical was the gunner. His arms were so badly damaged, I could see bone protruding."
"Blood cover[ed] my arms up to my elbows, he said.
"I had to crouch down to work at the gunner's feet in the back of the truck" because of the cramped conditions in the truck.
But neither fear nor self-doubt stopped Lee from doing what needed to be done.
"He took control of the situation and told everyone what to do," said Maj. Steven Craddick, a physician's assistant in the 121st.
Lee applied tourniquets to the injured gunner and bandaged the wounds of all three Soldiers.
"He was bleeding bad," said Lee of the gunner. "I gave him (medication) for pain."
After the area was secured by his fellow servicemembers, Lee pulled the injured Soldiers out of the truck.
"We got him on a litter, I started an I.V. and a ground ambulance was there and he was gone," Lee said of how quickly the gunner was medically evacuated. "It took 15 to 20 minutes to treat all three."
"Through the whole situation, I was calm," said Lee.
The medic must remain calm because he sets the tone for how the injured servicemember will react, said several health care specialists. If the medic looks as if he does not know his job, then the victim may panic.
"After it was over, the realization of what happened hit me," said Lee, "but my job is second nature to me. It's what I do. It's what I'm trained to do."
"I saw him when he got back," said Sgt. Jacob Dallmann, also a healthcare specialist with the 121st. "He had blood all over his arms. I asked him what happened. He was calm. He said he did what he had to do."
"After it happened," said Lee. "I slept better than I ever did before because I knew I did what I had to do and it paid off."
Bronze Star
On Jan. 28, at Camp Navistar, Kuwait, Lee received a Bronze Star for his lifesaving efforts in October. Along with other members of his unit, he was honored for his outstanding achievements as a Soldier, going above and beyond the call of duty.
Although Lee and his unit later learned the gunner had lost so much blood that he went into shock and nearly died on the way to the hospital, all three Soldiers survived thanks to Lee's valiant efforts.
Lee does not know the names of the men he saved, but says, "I never met [the gunner]. I would like to meet him and see how he's doing." But Lee says his real reward is that the gunner can go home to his family, as he will go home to his.
| Date Taken: | 02.07.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 02.07.2007 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 9075 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 116 |
This work, Soldier saves gunner's life, recognized with Bronze Star, by SPC Deborah Ledesma, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
