AFGHANISTAN - Afghan National Police and U.S. Special Forces were in the right place at the right time to provide critical medical treatment to a 2-year-old Afghan boy, Sept. 10, and to an Afghan man, Sept. 22, in Oruzgan.
Living in very austere conditions, the ANP and USSF teams reacted quickly to provide vital care to both patients that were brought to their site.
Fearing for his son’s life, an Afghan father arrived at the combined force’s location carrying his 2-year-old son who had been violently attacked by a dog Sept. 10. After providing initial treatment for injuries to the face and scalp, the on-site medic assessed the dire need for the boy to be medically evacuated for further treatment.
Responding immediately to the call, a coalition forces helicopter arrived to transport the young boy to a medical facility where he received the needed treatment.
Two weeks later, the father returned with his son to the very medic that provided that initial care. This time, however, it would be to remove the sutures from the young boys’ head and examine the injuries. With his son’s wounds healing properly, the father said good-bye and thanked the ANP and USSF one last time.
In an eerily similar situation, the same combined force received a conscious, but incapacitated Afghan man who had been found lying along a road near a local bazaar. After a thorough examination, the medic diagnosed the man with acute appendicitis.
Due to a lack of proper medical equipment on-site, the team once again requested a coalition forces helicopter, which transported the man to a medical treatment facility that could provide the needed care.
“By virtue of being in a brand new area and having the capability to provide assistance, in this case providing medical care, we hope that we can demonstrate through our actions, the commitment and dedication we have to the Afghan people,” said a Special Forces team sergeant with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: |
09.22.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
09.27.2010 06:27 |
| Story ID: |
57047 |
| Location: |
AF |
| Web Views: |
26 |
| Downloads: |
5 |
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