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DEL.ICIO.USClinic gives boost to civilians, troops
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Moni Basu/AJC
Sgt. Angela Gowen, a nurse from Tifton serving with Charlie Company, checks a patient's temperature at a daylong clinic. In a village just outside Nasiriyah, two cousins await treatment.
Naf al-Bezir, Iraq — Within minutes, the Al-Badoun elementary school’s transformation — from a place of learning to one of healing — was complete.
Stretchers on stands, boxes of medicine, stethoscopes, blood pressure gauges. Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Brigade Combat Team carried the supplies in quickly and with the same precision they march into combat.
For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, medics from Charlie Company of the 148th Support Battalion examined patients. The line was long, snaking from the school’s front gate around the dusty yard adjoining it. The Iraqis waited patiently, amid a howling dust storm, for a rare chance at a good examination and proper medication.
It was the first time since the arrival in Iraq last June of the 48th Brigade medics that they were able to treat Iraqi civilians on their turf.
“It’s very rewarding, ” said 1st Lt. Anna Talerico, a physician’s assistant from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “I’m having a good time, though, as you can see, it’s somewhat limiting.”
Limiting because the clinics were set up in stark classrooms that had no electricity. The cold crept in through cracked windows and doors that did not close all the way.
Limiting also because the medics did not have access to all the equipment and drugs they needed.
Seizing the opportunity
In this village just outside Nasiriyah in southeastern Iraq, there is just one clinic to serve the people, most of whom belong to the al-Badoun tribe. The Georgia soldiers saw an opportunity to help here without fear of roadside bombs, suicide bombers or snipers.
During their six-month stay in the Baghdad area last year, these soldiers did not attempt such a mission because insurgent activity made the soldiers too vulnerable to attack.
“We couldn’t do this in our old sector,” Talerico said. “It was just too dangerous.”
But in Nasiriyah, there has not been much violence since March 2003, when invading U.S. forces fought fierce battles with Saddam Hussein’s army. In one battle, a convoy was ambushed leaving 11 soldiers dead and seven others, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch, as prisoners.
Nasiriyah lies in the heart of heavily Shiite territory. The holy cities of Najaf and Karbala are a short ride up the main north-south highway the U.S. military calls Main Supply Route Tampa.
“There are no terrorists here,” said Ahmed Abar Fahad, 30, son of one of the community leaders. “It is safe here. We do not allow outsiders.
“The problem in Baghdad is the public. My people will not help the terrorists.”
Lt. Col. Scott Carter the brigade’s civil affairs officer, said it also helps that villages and towns in southern Iraq have functioning governments. And that Army officers do not have to meet with local leaders clandestinely.
“In our old sector, I couldn’t go to meet a local leader at his office,” said Carter, a senior project manager at a graphics packaging company in Warner Robins. “It always had to be a secret location. Today, I expect local sheiks to thank us openly. They would never do that in Baghdad.”
Carter said Guard soldiers are well-suited for such missions because they are citizen-soldiers accustomed to working in the civilian world.
Treatment appreciated
Shiites, who form a majority in Iraq, were persecuted under Saddam and, for the most part, residents in this area were happy to see advancing U.S. troops during the march to Baghdad.
“Now it’s so much better,” Fahad said. “The control over us is no longer there.”
But life’s everyday routines and rhythms along the banks of the Euphrates River have changed little since Saddam’s ouster. Loyalty to clan and tribe remain strong. Tribal leaders command great respect.
The 48th Brigade has been working with some of these leaders since it arrived in southern Iraq in late October.
“We need Americans to stay in Iraq to help us rebuild our country,” said Fahad, who often gets U.S. contracts for projects in the Nasiriyah area.
Despite the relative calm, the problems of Iraq are as persistent here as elsewhere, if not more so. The Shiites, downtrodden for so many years, live in some of Iraq’s poorest areas. It was obvious on the faces of the those who came to the clinic. Their clothes were ragged and socks were darned repeatedly, their skin cracked from years of work in the sun.
They scooped up chips, cookies, cartons of cereal and candy for their children.
Sarah Adel came in to see Talerico with her 3-year-old grandson, Murtada. The little boy was suffering from a cold. Upper respiratory diseases and stomach problems are common in Iraq. She complained of pain in her ribs and a burning sensation in her stomach.
“I think she has arthritis muscle pain and a little bit of acid reflux,” Talerico said.
Rewards twofold
Sgt. Angela Gowen, a nurse from Tifton, shuttled into another room to sort through drugs lined up on a table. She returned with Tylenol and some Indian-manufactured pills to treat the stomach acidity.
“It takes a lot of talking to find out whether the child has any allergies or other problems,” Gowen said. “The language barrier is a pain.”
A patient interpreter sorted through a litany of problems. Many of the women complained of back and shoulder pain from carrying heavy loads in the nearby farmlands.
The Georgia soldiers treated about 60 families on this day. Many were turned away because the soldiers had to return to Base Camp Adder before dark.
Maj. Ray Polk, commander of Charlie Company, said his soldiers welcomed the opportunity to practice their medical skills.
“They saw too many bad things,” said Polk, a physician’s assistant from Dahlonega, referring to his medics’ roles in combat trauma situations. “I was worried they would never get to do this; that they would only see the combat side of it.”
Polk said his medics have dealt with more than 20 deaths and treated over 100 wounded soldiers in the brigade since last June. They have even treated insurgents who were detained by the brigade. But, until this trip, never had an opportunity to see ordinary Iraqis who needed medical attention.
The soldiers left Naf al-Bezir as the dust storm swallowed the village feeling that this, perhaps, was their most rewarding mission yet.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By angie
January 25, 2006 06:56 AM | Link to this
Could you please find out why there has really been no news about mechanics. To me, they are the backbone of this. I mean come on, without them where would anybody be. The reason I’m sending this is because my husband is a mechanic(with Charlie Co.) over there. I think I’ve read about every other type of job that Charlie Co. has performed, except mechanics. Their job is important . I think they need to be reconized also. Thank You
By todd poteet
January 25, 2006 01:38 PM | Link to this
i would like to thank you for printing this artical.i to was one of the medics at that site treating the iraqi people and i thought it was a very rewarding experance.i also had the honor of serving on a MiTT tean when we were up north and got to work with the iraqi army and also the local people their and came to be very good friends with them.my time here has been very rewarding to see the hard work we have done here paying off is a great feeling and to have the chance to do the type of missions is a blessing and i hopr we have made the poeple of Georgia proud .
By Kat Orr
January 25, 2006 02:56 PM | Link to this
Todd ~ yes, sir ~ you sure have done us proud!!!! :-) We truly, truly appreciate each and every one of y’all. We support you 200% and are praying for you all each and every day.
THANK YOU a million times over for service.
Sincerely,
“Momma Kat” in Loganville, Georgia
By A Proud Georgia Supporter
January 25, 2006 04:34 PM | Link to this
Todd, and all the other soldiers there - you have made not only Georgians proud but people in other states. Thank you to each soldier - including the support detachments because without support the rest would not have what is needed to ‘run the war’. I pray for all of you, especially my own, and hope that the next 3 months will pass quickly and I will see you, although we will not know each other, when you return to Georgia. I also pray that the families who will have to travel from other states will make the journey to Georgia safely.
Thank you, Moni, and AJC for these articles about the humane side of the 48th’s deployment. These soldiers are doing an awesome job and are true heros. Thank you to each of them.
God hold our military close and protect you.
By Sara
January 25, 2006 07:13 PM | Link to this
My husband was also one of the physician’s assistants involved in this mission, and he, too, said it was very rewarding. I got to see many great photos of the children they treated, both inside the school for medical issues, and outside the building for the delivery of food and toys. The boys were intrigued by their uniforms and the pens they carried, and were so pleased with their small gifts and the food they were given. They all hope they’ll be able to do more work like this before their tour is over! Thanks for printing it.
By Tammy
January 26, 2006 12:50 AM | Link to this
Dear Todd Poteet, You have represented all of America well, I pray America does the same for you. Thank you all for your service, God bless you all, and bring you safely home.