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LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan The Afghan National Army’s 201st Corps, graduated its first group of combat medics during a ceremony held on Forward Operating Base Gamberi, July 21.
“In the past, Coalition Forces provided the capabilities these graduates and their fellow medics are bringing to the 201st Corps. Strategically this is important because through medics and expanding the training, the ANA, as a whole, inch closer to a self sustaining military,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Acord, the deputy commanding officer for Task Force Patriot.
Acord, a native of Sylvester, Ga., added that while there is still work to do, the ANA are moving towards an ultimate state of self reliance. This graduation brings the 201st Corps medical strength to just below the 50percent mark.
The 201st Corps’ first graduating class finished with 101 students.
During the training students learned how to stop patient bleeding, administer an intravenous line on a patient, and other measures to save their fellow soldier’s lives on the battlefield. Saving lives is only one way the ANA is taking the lead.
“The ANA set it up themselves, it’s totally ANA led. They did it all by themselves,” said Capt. Esmeralda Linan, medical sustainment advisor with Company C, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas.
Linan was excited to have seen the entire process unfold, from the planning stages to the culminating graduation before leaving Afghanistan.
“I feel very confident in the ANA’s ability to sustain this training and supply their force with trained medics even after Coalition Forces leave,” said Linan, the Corpus Christi, Texas native.
Linan said in the next cycle of medical training, the 201st Corps will have students from the Afghan National Police, the Afghan Uniformed Police and the Afghan Border Police.
“That’s really monumental, the crossing over of the ANA and ANP, for medical in the 201st they do that very well they use each other’s assets, they have a good relationship and work together. Inviting them to join their combat medic course just makes that relationship that much stronger,” said Linan.
These combat medic graduates see the benefit to getting this training and gaining skills that will save their fellow soldier’s lives. They also understand the overall benefit to the ANA’s development.
“If this type of program continues, the ANA will get lots of medics and it will help a lot of soldiers and the ANA as a whole will benefit greatly from it,” said Sgt. Qudratullah, a combat medic in the ANA 201st Corps.
Even though he was selected by his command for the training, Qudratullah said he always had an interest in medicine.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2013 03:07 |
| Story ID: | 110927 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE GAMBERI, AF |
| Hometown: | CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, US |
| Hometown: | SYLVESTER, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 201st Corps grows battlefield medics, by SFC E. L. Craig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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