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Medics prepared to treat anything
FOB Delta, Iraq, Sunday, 29 June 2008
The reasons Soldiers visited sick call June 23 varied greatly: insect bites, insomnia and the common cold were a few of the maladies.
No matter the reason, a group of medical professionals patiently await the arrival of fellow Soldiers, Coalition forces and local Iraqis, everyday.
Task Force Delta Med, comprised of Soldiers from 41st Fires Brigade, 848th Forward Surgical Team and several augmentees, provide medical care to the residents of FOB Delta. The task force includes an obstetrician/gynecologist, dentist, surgeons, nurses and a combat stress team.
The 41st Fires Bde. only recently arrived, but the medics immediately joined the team.
“It was a shock to wake up and ‘Bam!’ there’s a trauma,” said Sgt. Larry Mellette, a medic from Visalia, Calif., of treating four Iraqis with medics he’d barely met. “It actually ran really smooth. Everyone took the roles they needed to fill.”
Mellette credits their success to intensive training . The medics went through Basic Combat Trauma Team Training at Fort Drum in February.
“It was really thorough training,” Mellette said. “Every medic should have to go through it.”
To ensure the team continues to be ready to respond to trauma, the medics conduct emergency medical technician training every other Saturday night.
“Whenever we’re sitting around, we do classes or quiz each other on things we haven’t seen in a long time or practice giving [intravenous fluids],” said Pfc. Krystal Smith. “We learn something new from every patient.”
The doctors also spend time with their Iraqi counterparts as part of the Cooperative Medical Effort, said Capt. John Shaughnessy, a Rapid City, S.D., native.
The medics of TF Delta Med show complete dedication to their mission. Each shift has separate responsibilities, but every shift focuses on patient care. They meticulously maintain patient data, restock supplies and prepare for every worst-case scenario.
The demands of a 24-hour operation require Soldiers stay close but also have a chance to unwind. Two morale, welfare and recreation rooms in the hospital provide that opportunity. Each features a television, video game console, digital video disc player, snacks from care packages and a phone and computer to stay in touch with home.
The medical personnel also sleep in rooms in the hospital, most of which are shared with at least one other Soldier. Like the MWR rooms, the living areas keep the medics close in case of emergency.
“Sometimes we only have a five-minute warning,” said Sgt. 1st Class DeAnne Hildreth, TF Delta Med first sergeant.
The task force is in the process of standing-up as Company C, 589th Brigade Support Battalion. A ceremony is scheduled for July 5.
