Photo By Staff Sgt. Alfred V. Lopez | U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Bradley Donahue is a corpsman with the Regimental...... read more read more
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CAMP DWYER, Helmand province, Afghanistan – U.S. Navy corpsmen are vital to keeping Marines in the business of fighting battles.
Every day, they treat the simplest of injuries, save Marine lives and ensure that their fellow warriors are able to return home to their families.
One essential role that corpsmen undertake is casualty tracking.
Petty Officers 3rd Class Jose R. Perez and Bradley Donahue, both corpsmen and casualty trackers with the Regimental Combat Team 5 regimental aid station casualty tracking center, are in the business of taking care of Marines, and getting them to where they need to be.
Whether it’s back to the front lines for another day in the fight, or back home to fully recover from their wounds, the casualty trackers ensure that their Marine brothers and sisters are well cared for.
“Our overall mission is to track and care for patients and casualties from units that fall under RCT-5,” said Perez, a 34-year-old native of San German, Puerto Rico.
“If you boil it down to the basics, our job is to pass information,” said Donahue, a 30-year-old native of Mission Viejo, Calif. “We’re professional communicators.”
“We learn what the patients need and make sure that those needs are met,” Donahue added.
Once the casualty trackers receive the call for an incoming patient, they rush into action; they’re at the patient’s side as soon as they’ve been medically evacuated to the combat support hospital here.
“We make sure we’re with them as soon as they arrive so we don’t miss any details and so we can inform everyone that needs to be in the loop on the patient’s status,” Perez explained.
As soon as the CSH has deemed the patient fit for further recovery or travel, they are transferred over to the RAS casualty trackers.
“If the CSH isn’t able to take care of the patient or if they’re immediately medevaced to a higher echelon of care, we take charge of transferring and tracking them,” Perez said.
Even if the patient is transferred to a different location, Perez and Donahue make it their business to track the patient, and keep the chain-of-command informed of their status.
Providing accurate and timely information to parent units and other units involved with the patient care is one of the most important aspects of the casualty tracking process, Perez said.
“We pass the information to them so they know what their Marine needs,” explains Donahue. “We take the information from the network that we have with the other casualty trackers, so their [chain-of-command] knows their status.”
“If the patient goes back to the States, we make sure they have the same information we have, so they can receive the appropriate level of care,” Donahue added.
Caring and tracking patients is a 24-hour operation. Perez and Donahue each work a 12-hour shift, ensuring patients are provided with everything they need.
Both trackers have seen all types of injuries, and are both experts in taking care of the patient’s needs.
“We’ve seen a little bit of everything,” said Perez. “Gunshots, burns and pneumonia…even mongoose bites; you name it, we’ve seen it all.”
“A lot of the patients that come through are here for secondary appointments also,” said Donahue. “Some of them are here for dental and consultative care as well.”
Perez and Donahue ensure that patient’s medications are administered, uniforms are provided, wounds are dressed, and all follow-up appointments at the CSH are attended.
“We’ve had as many as sixteen patients here at one time,” said Perez. “The number is always up and down, but we’re ready to take care of anything they need.”
“We help them get their gear together, dress their wounds and escort them to their appointments,” explains Donahue. “A lot of it involves the little things they wouldn’t be able to do on their own.”
The casualty tracking center is well equipped to accommodate any patient that goes through; the center has clean sleeping and hygiene facilities for up to 25 patients, and a United Service Organizations calling center, ideal for reaching friends and family back home.
The center even has a lounge area, furnished with a TV, video game systems and movies, to provide patients with a comfortable healing environment.
“We try to keep the environment as relaxed as possible so patients can recuperate,” said Perez. “Being able to recharge their batteries is the most important thing they need.”
Many of the patients recuperating from their injuries are surprised by the accommodations. Most of them haven’t seen a TV, called home to their families, or even had a taste of ice cream in months. Being able to share this with them is a great feeling, said Perez.
Since their tenure began here in August, Perez and Donahue have personally tracked 200 patients, keeping RCT-5 and its subordinate battalions well informed of the status of their Marines, and ensuring patients have the time and treatment they need to heal.
“To have a hand in assisting with the care of guys on the ground is the most rewarding part of the job for me,” said Donahue.
“I take joy in what I do,” said Perez. “It’s a good feeling to be able to help out a Marine.”
Perez and Donahue have been charged with a weighty task for this deployment. But with dedication to their craft, and compassion for patients in their care, these corpsmen ensure Marines receive the care they need to get back in the fight.
Editor’s note: Regimental Combat Team 5 is assigned to 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghan National Security Forces and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces and enabling ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 12.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2011 03:17 |
| Story ID: | 81896 |
| Location: | CAMP DWYER, AF |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, RCT-5 sailors track, provide care for brothers-in-arms, by SSgt Alfred V. Lopez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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