Medical team shares invisible bond

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kristina Barrett
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  “After what I saw last night, I understand why American Soldiers love their country. America values human life. Last night, no matter what the soldier’s injuries or the soldier’s rank, there were 10 medical specialists working on each Iraqi soldier. We are proud to have American Soldiers as our brothers.” - Unnamed Iraqi Army officer 

It is said that teamwork is the backbone of any organization. For the 506th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, it is the teamwork resulting from the bonds between medical professionals that inspired the quote above. 

On the night of March 23, the squadron received an urgent call, one that brought a team of medics from different backgrounds and specialties together with one goal -- to save lives.

It was a routine day until 9:30 p.m. when four Iraqi Army soldiers arrived at the emergency room after their armed vehicle rolled following the detonation of an improvised explosive device. Not knowing what injuries to expect, a medical team, including the Mobile Field Surgical Team, or MFST, was assembled, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. 

The four patients were brought in by helicopter and transported to the nearby emergency room by litter. It is not much different than a scene from the television series M*A*S*H, although the medical capabilities are much more advanced than five decades ago. What prevails is that these Airmen are faced with the true nature of war and their relationship with each other as a team allows them to face life and death situations.

“We are a very close-knit group, despite the fact we come from 11 different bases, to include active duty, Guard and Reserve,” said Col. (Dr.) David Rhodes, EMEDS commander deployed from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. “We have a camaraderie that has developed from the common bond we share.”

It’s this bond that carries them through their workload -- treating more than 1,500 patients, including more than 60 trauma cases.

The EMEDS here is designated as a level 2 facility. Level 1 care comes from the medics in the field, while level 2 facilities provide the first level of advanced care to patients who are “straight off the battlefield.”

This facility is considered an “EMEDS+10,” which means it has the capability of housing 10 patients for 24 to 72 hours. The staff of about 50 encompasses a wide range of medical specialties -- physicians, nurses, and medical technicians -- and includes a dentist, X-ray technician, lab technician and psychologist. Continuing and more specialized care is provided at level 3 facilities, one of which is located at Balad Air Base. 

“Sometimes we have a patient who requires immediate care at a level 3 facility. We have the option to send them via helicopter to the next level of care,” Colonel Rhodes said . “We have a dedicated flight surgeon who can travel with a patient and provide care in the air. Here at EMEDS we are able to provide initial trauma management and perform emergency surgery to save life and limb.

“We also see the full range of less-emergent medical problems and have about a 90 percent return-to-duty rate overall,” he said.

Facing more severe injuries can be difficult initially, especially in a war zone, said Master Sgt. Sandra Scott, noncommissioned officer in charge of emergency services. 

Regardless of deployment experience or familiarity with treating severe trauma, the types of traumas they see in Iraq are different, said Sergeant Scott and Chief Master Sgt. Leon Hall, EMEDS superintendent. Both are deployed from Keesler.

“For us, acclimation begins as soon as we hit the ground and we have to stay ready because emergencies can occur at anytime in this environment,” she said.

“We see the trauma we’re faced with and in the time it takes us to take a deep breath, the medic in us takes over and allows us to do our job,” the chief said.

Sergeant Scott credits the team’s ability to gel quickly with great morale and team maturity, allowing them to jump in and provide the best care they can.

“If the members of the team don’t gel, it just doesn’t work,” Sergeant Scott said. “When we have a trauma to respond to, we don’t have to spend a lot of time talking about the duties of the team, we just do it, knowing by experience what needs to be done.

"That level of communication is necessary when there are four to five people to a patient and there are four to five things that all need to be accomplished in a short period of time," Sergeant Scott said. “We just flow from one task to another.”

Such activity might appear to be “organized chaos,” said Staff Sgt. Jake Leyva, an independent duty medical technician deployed from Kirtland AFB, N.M. He said that the many ongoing tasks are unspoken but carefully coordinated because the team members can count on each other.

“We are focused on treating the patient and this totally consumes our attention,” he said. “We can’t focus on the blood and mass trauma because if we lose our focus, we could lose the patient.”

Each team member must deal with the trauma they see regularly, Colonel Rhodes said. The comraderie that develops in these difficult environments helps defuse tension after the work is done. Humor is one way they deal with the challenges of the workday.

“A sense of humor is mandatory equipment here. There is a certain period of transition each person goes through given the level of trauma we see here,” the colonel said. “We each deal with it individually and as a group; we help each other through it.”

Maj. (Dr.) Mark Summers, a flight surgeon deployed from Minot AFB, N.D., has served as trauma team leader for several trauma patients.

“We’re in the middle of the ER all doing the same job and we must rely on each other,” Major Summers said. “The thing that helps us through are the things that make us a team.”

Sergeant Scott agrees.

“When we have a trauma, we are focused on doing the job and that is the most important thing at that moment,” she said. “Once we are finished, we sort of ‘eyeball’ each other to see how everyone is doing.”

The medics take care of each other because they realize they are an important link in the chain of the medical care their patient receives.

Colonel Rhodes, currently on his fifth deployment, stresses the importance of having a cohesive team, which makes all the difference when lives are on the line.

“We spend a lot of time together even when we’re not working,” he said. “Morale here is high because we can see the difference our team effort makes.”

As the lives of the four Iraqi soldiers hung in the balance, the Kirkuk EMEDS team worked through the night. In the end, all who came to the EMEDS that night were saved.

“This is the best part of what we do,” Colonel Rhodes said. “We can see the immediate benefits to our patients as we treat their injuries and, when necessary, move them to higher levels of care.”