Dragon doctors aid Iraqis

Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | Sgt. 1st Class Brian Starns, the brigade surgeon non-commissioned officer in charge with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Colorado Springs, Colo., checks a young boy's heartbeat during the unit's medical visit to southern Baghdad, Aug. 11.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

08.14.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Pfc. Nathaniel Smith
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD – When Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, goes before Congress in September, one of the benchmarks for the success in Iraq will be the ability to provide essential services to Iraqis.

Multi-National Division-Baghdad forces took a step in that direction by providing medical services to the citizens of southern Baghdad, Aug. 11.

Task Force Dragon elements from the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, and the 610th Brigade Support Battalion teamed up with an Iraqi health care provider and two Iraqi nurses to treat civilians in the Ghartan region.

The Soldiers also provided the area with chlorine tablets to purify drinking water.

Citizens of the area turned out in force from mid-morning to the middle of the afternoon, braving the Iraqi heat all day long, showing how desperately the people needed the medical services.

Separate areas were set up to provide health care to men and women, respecting cultural sensitivities.

Sgt. Rashawnda Clugston, a human resources sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) from Norman, Okla., said being able to help with the mission despite not being from a medical field was a rewarding experience.

"It was good to be a part of something," she said. "Working in an office all the time, I can't always see the good we're doing."

"It was good to see they were being seen and they were getting help."

Clugston, who contributed by searching female patients, did not have to participate in the mission, but she chose to get involved in order to make a difference.

"I volunteered to be a part of something that made me feel good," she said.

Master Sgt. James Fales, a member of the 4th BCT's Iraqi security forces cell from Raymore, Mo., said the mission helped American and Iraqi forces build a rapport with the civilians.

"The access to the local population will help build better relationship with the U.S. forces," he said. "It also helps to legitimize the local authorities there."

Whether or not the Soldiers return to provide further treatment depended on the perceived impact they made, but Fales said being able to help the people just this one time, especially the kids, was satisfying.

"I'm always reminds that no matter where you go on the planet, kids have the same sicknesses they have everywhere," the Purple Heart recipient said. "If you can help take care of some of the minor illnesses, make them healthier, happier, it makes you feel good to do it."

• Date Taken: 08.14.2007
• Date Posted: 08.14.2007 07:59
• Story ID: 11799
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ