MAG-40 Corpsman recognized for heroic actions

Photo By Sgt. Samuel A. Nasso | Chief Petty Officer Edwin Brannan, the leading chief petty officer for the Marine...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. Samuel A. Nasso | Chief Petty Officer Edwin Brannan, the leading chief petty officer for the Marine Aircraft Group 40 casualty evacuation team, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, reads the citation of a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal awarded to Seaman Kyle Peterson, a CASEVAC corpsman with MAG-40, for his performance during an air casualty evacuation of two wounded Marines, Aug. 7. Peterson's attention to detail and thorough medical evaluation aided in two urgent Marine Corps casualties arriving safely to the next echelon of medical care.  see less | View Image Page

AFGHANISTAN

03.21.2010

Story by Cpl. Samuel A. Nasso 

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing   

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CAMP LEATHERNECK, Helmand province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan — "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem," former president Ronald Reagan once said.

Marines are known to do great things and hold themselves to the values of honor, courage and commitment. What must not be forgotten is these core values were derived from the Naval traditions of the Marine Corps.

One sailor, Hospitalman Kyle Peterson, a casualty evacuation corpsman with Marine Aircraft Group 40, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, exemplified these core values and because of the heroic actions he displayed, Aug. 7, 2009, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Chief Petty Officer Edwin Brannan, the leading chief petty officer for the MAG-40 CASEVAC team, read the summary of action for the medal while 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Command Master Chief Petty Officer Christopher Aldis presented Peterson with the medal, March. 5.

On Aug. 7, 2009, Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772, MAG-40, was flying a typical resupply mission when they were called to conduct an air casualty evacuation mission for two seriously wounded Marines from Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, MEB-A.

The Marines were injured by an improvised explosive device near Garmsir District, Helmand province. Although CASEVAC was not a normal mission for HMH-772, the squadron was close to the company's location and had a corpsman on board their aircraft to tend to the wounded Marines.

Within minutes, the CH-53E "Super Stallion" helicopters landed and Peterson, along with an air crew Marine, rushed toward the casualties. Once loaded on the aircraft, Peterson assessed the casualties and saw that one was a double amputee with a weak pulse while the second patient was in stable condition. He noticed that one of the tourniquets on the double amputee patient was loose and the patient was losing blood.

Peterson quickly reacted and tightened the tourniquet to completely stop the bleeding. He later said that if the aircraft he was on did not take the CASEVAC mission that the double amputee patient would have bled to death.

An excerpt of Peterson's summary of action for his medal stated, "Hospital Apprentice Peterson's attention to detail and thorough medical evaluation directly contributed to two urgent casualties safely arriving at the next higher level of medical care. Peterson quickly made an accurate and level headed assessment of the patient's conditions while constantly communicating the status of the patients to the helicopter aircraft commanded and crew."

"On Aug. 7, then HA Peterson flawlessly applied the skills and knowledge he had attained from numerous medical courses during the treatment and transport of two combat casualties," said Brannan. "His actions on that day are what being a corpsman is all about."

At only 21-years-old, Peterson exemplifies the maturity and knowledge that is essential to being a corpsman.

"Peterson is a young corpsman, but this is an occasion that he'll look back upon throughout his career and know that all the training, hard work, and dedication was worth it," said Brannan.

"At the time, being a seaman apprentice in a situation like that, he fell back on his training by tightening the tourniquet, making it possible for the Marine to make it to the next echelon of medical treatment," said Aldis. "It's pretty incredible."

Aldis, during a three day visit to Camp Leatherneck, jumped at the opportunity to present Peterson his award.

"It basically broke me down to tears," said Aldis. "Honestly, it tugs my heart because that's what they are trained to do and shows the caliber of the guys and girls we have as hospital corpsmen serving with the fleet marine force. It's incredible, when I was their rank and age, I was nowhere near the level they are now and Peterson receiving this award is just one example of what every one of them would do if given the situation. The pride I feel is unbelievable."

The Marines and Sailors of MAG-40 work hard every day and it is not every day an individual gets recognized for their work.

"It's an honor to get the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal," said Peterson. "I was just doing my part. I don't feel like I've done more than anyone else and I know anyone of us could have done it. I was in the right place right time."

Peterson's award is another notch on the belt of the CASEVAC team. Many of the CASEVAC corpsmen qualified for their Fleet Marine Force. In addition the team has received 13 Combat Air Crew Wings, two MEB-A Junior Sailors of the Quarter awards, more than 3,000 flight hours qualifying them for 42 air medals, eight promotions, two flag letters of commendation and one command advancement.

"My team can be summed up in two words 'The' and 'Best,'" said Brannan. "When we were put together a little over a year ago, I didn't know what to expect. Normally, when you get folks from several different units, all of them around the same rank, you have issues to deal with. With this crew it took all of two days for them to come together and over the last year they have become a family more than a team."

What Peterson did, Aug. 7, 2009, is one example of why corpsmen are essential to the Navy and Marine Corps team. In a crucial moment on the battlefield, a corpsman stepped up and proved his worth for his team.

"The impact that corpsmen bring to the fight is immeasurable," said Aldis. "Marines are always confident they can go into battle and do anything knowing that corpsmen are beside them. They are confident in their corpsmen's medical skills and capabilities and confident that they will step up and do their job when it counts."