Photo By Spc. Jason Dangel | Staff Sgt. Jamiell Dominguez, medical non-commissioned officer-in-charge, 2nd...... read more read more
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CAMP TAJI, Iraq—An unsuspecting squad is suddenly ambushed when conducting a routine house search in downtown Baghdad. The Soldiers manage to subdue the enemy but not without suffering life threatening injuries.
"MEDIC!" one Soldiers screams, "MEDIC!" and almost immediately a young "Doc" is on the scene, applying lifesaving treatment, radioing for medical evacuation and safely seeing off the injured troops as the make their way to a nearby combat support hospital. This all happens in a matter of minutes.
This scenario, among others, was one completed by medics of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division — Baghdad as they battled for the top spot during the brigade's "Iron Eagle" Medic competition at Camp Taji recently.
"Every year we have to complete an evaluation of our medic's skills called medic training. We used this event today to identify our Soldiers strengths and weaknesses while bringing them together in a competitive environment," said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Ford, medical operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge, Headquarters Support Company, 404th Avn. Support Battalion, from Moreno Valley, Calif.
"A lot of the skills they learn are somewhat perishable; if you don't use them you lose them; so we wanted to keep them trained and up to date with the newest procedures and lessons learned coming from today's battlefield," the 16-year veteran medic added.
Seven of the brigade's most junior medics, accompanied by additional Soldiers acting as security teams, were graded on their knowledge of proper Pre-Combat Checks and Inspections, the ability to move tactically, accessing and treating casualties under fire and their overall ability to render quick and effective care in the field.
All the graded skill areas were evaluated in conjunction with the proper execution of hostage rescue scenario where four U.S. Soldiers were being held by a local terrorist group.
The medics' objective during the competition was to move tactically to the hostage location, subdue enemy forces, treat the injured Soldiers and then evacuate them via ground convoy. The time it took each team to complete the scenario was also factored in to their final grades.
"Training events like this keep our Soldiers leaning forward in the foxhole," said Staff Sgt. Jamiell Dominguez, event organizer and medical non-commissioned officer-in-charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn., from Seattle.
"We constantly tell our Soldiers that they must stay battle focused, and it's important that they maintain that mindset because it's easy to fall out of that during the day to day grind," she continued. "That's why I felt it was so important to bring this opportunity to the forefront, and give these Soldiers and opportunity to excel."
Even though all the medics did well during the event, only one could prevail as the best, and that Soldier was Pfc. Katreena Yesbek, a member of HHC, 1st Bn., from Jackson, N.J.
Yesbek's performance, as described by her graders, was exceptional. She scored the best in all categories and also completed the event with the fastest time.
"I'm pretty proud of myself," Yesbek said after being named top Iron Eagle medic. "I've worked really hard and I went in there and did what I was taught to do, and I did it to the best of my ability."
"For me, this training event was very important because we got hands on with a realistic scenario that tested our efficiency and level of skill," she added.
Yesbek, who joined the Army about a year and a half ago, aspires to be a flight medic, and according to her superiors she is the right person for the job.
"I have personally trained with Pfc. Yesbek on a number of occasions, and what I can tell you about her character is that she is a very driven, young Soldier," Dominguez said.
"She is always hungry for knowledge. This event isn't just a one time show for her, she is truly committed to her job and she's passionate about what she does," Dominguez added.
As for Yesbek, she was quick to redirect her praise and accomplishment to other members of her medical team, and said all the other medics are as proficient and dedicated as she is.
"We are all trained on the same level, and we are all ready and equipped to respond to any medical emergency," Yesbek said.
"All the others are awesome, she said of her colleagues, and we make a great team. A good team in itself is probably the best advantage of all."
For her performance, Yesbek received a glass Iron Eagle Medic Competition trophy with an inscribed design depicting a medic saving a life on the battlefield; the true calling of a Soldier known as "Doc."
| Date Taken: | 04.28.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2009 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 32970 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 809 |
| Downloads: | 566 |
This work, Aviation medics compete for top spot during Iron Eagle Medic Competition at Camp Taji, by SPC Jason Dangel, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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