Transportation Company Soldier saves life of civilian contractor

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Chauncey Townsend, heavy-wheeled vehicle operator with the 319th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Support Troops Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Jackson, Miss., native, stands watch at an entry control point. Townsend used skills acquired in his civilian occupation as a firefighter and paramedic to save the life of a civilian contractor, July 10, at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Ronnie Patrick, Jr.)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

07.10.2010

Courtesy Story

103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

By 1st Lt. Ronnie Patrick, Jr.,

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — American forces are working diligently to meet the president’s timeline for the responsible drawdown of forces from Iraq.

Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers often face extraordinary challenges, and consistently overcome these challenges with their diverse and unique set of skills, earning them the alias “Citizen-Soldiers.” These Soldiers live and work in civilian communities, while volunteering to serve their country in a time when a high rate of success and mission accomplishment are extremely vital to current theater operations.

Their unique skills acquired through civilian occupations make these Soldiers a highly valuable collective asset to today’s Army.

While serving as a force protection Soldier at an entry control point, one Soldier prevented a fatal medical situation by using his civilian acquired medical training and saved a man’s life, July 10, at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Spc. Chauncey Townsend, a heavy-wheeled vehicle operator with the 319th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Special Troops Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Jackson, Miss., native, is an Army Reservist currently serving on his first deployment.

Townsend serves as a firefighter and paramedic in his civilian occupation.

While manning an entry control point July 10 at COB Adder, Townsend used those civilian skills to save a man’s life, preventing a situation from turning fatal.

A contractor escorting several local national workers at the ECP began to display symptoms which Townsend said he immediately noticed, assessed and suspected as life-threatening.

Townsend said he overheard the contractor complaining of numbness in his right leg and observed him having difficulty staying on his feet. Within minutes the contractor’s muscles seized, resulting in him losing consciousness and collapsing into a diabetic seizure. Townsend immediately took control of the situation, realizing the contractor was in severe hypoglycemic shock.

Townsend directed his fellow Soldiers to retrieve nearby combat lifesaver supplies and notify emergency medical services.

Using his civilian paramedic training, Townsend worked quickly to administer intravenous therapy to prevent the patient from overheating in the 120-degree plus heat. Townsend quickly stabilized the patient, who regained consciousness well before EMS arrived on the scene.

“Spc. Townsend has many duties and responsibilities at the ECP, and through his diligence and personal attention to every detail in his surroundings, truly saved a life,” said Timothy Borgmann, Townsend’s manager and lead biometric enroller at the ECP.

Borgmann, a nationally-registered emergency medical technician-basic and a former service member, said dehydration, a glycemic index over 300, a blow to the head and unconsciousness on 140-degree asphalt would have certainly done irreparable damage to the man's brain in less than five minutes. This damage, combined with hypoglycemic shock would have, at best, caused a coma followed shortly, if unassisted, by death.

“I just did what I knew was right,” Townsend said. “I knew that either his blood glucose level was too high or too low. I checked his blood glucose level and it was 306. A normal blood glucose reading should be between 70 and 150.”

Borgmann said he is proud to serve with, and deeply admires the prowess of, Townsend and Spc. Jason Geske, an entry control point guard from the 632nd Maintenance Company who assisted Townsend in providing medical aid.

They are “truly lifesavers,” Borgmann said.

“The recognition they deserve goes beyond what could be worn on a uniform,” he said. “I hope they are formally presented before their peers as a statement of what the Army values most: courageous, determined and capable Soldiers who act with confidence and carry a true Warrior's compassion to care for those who need them.”

• Date Taken: 07.10.2010
• Date Posted: 07.26.2010 14:00
• Story ID: 53405
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ